tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91945308154908673992024-03-13T08:43:24.302-07:00満喫漫言 mankitsu mangenmixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-2289879128572808332014-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:002014-04-03T10:07:35.142-07:00Maui Mike's - Hakusan, TokyoTokyo, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-14/tokyo-tops-paris-with-more-michelin-stars-and-better-food.html">despite its reputation of having more starred restaurants than Paris according to the Michelin guidebook serie</a>s, tends to lack a few foods which are commonplace in the United States. Things like turkey, bacon that crisps when cooked, hummus, good cheese, whole grain bread, sour cream, pastrami, corned beef (not canned), Philly cheeseteaks, etc. This is not a complete list, and depending on where one might be, they might have access to these rare foods if they're willing to pay the price. I remember when I made corned beef (yes canned) hash and the recipe called for sour cream; I found it but I think it was 300 yen (~$3.00) for what might have been 1/2 a cup. Save yourself the trouble and just use plain yogurt if a recipe calls for sour cream and you're in Japan.<br />
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Another food which belongs on the list of things as rare as a Yeti riding a unicorn while holding a basket full of four leaf clovers if your'e in Tokyo would be roasted or grilled chicken. I realize how spoiled I was back in Hawaii where just about every supermarket would have rows of roasted whole chickens by the deli counter. As if that wasn't enough, it was commonplace to have grills set up in the parking lots of those supermarkets where <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huli-huli_chicken">huli-huli chicken</a> would be on sale as well. One would think that in a place where ovens, much less ovens large enough to roast a chicken, are rare that there would be a market for pre-cooked chickens. But if there's no market for chicken, then who am I to condemn thousands of innocent chickens to die every day just for my selfish desire? <br />
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Getting to the point of this post, I was in the Hongo area running an errand and had not eaten anything since early in the morning. I knew of several good places near Hongo-Sanchome, Todaimae and Yushima stations but, I was in the mood to go somewhere I have never been before. Having seen <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/02/04/food/eating-hawaiian-in-japan-with-or-without-the-pancakes/">this article which kind of skimmed over some of the more authentic non-pancake based Hawaiian restaurants in Tokyo</a>, I decided to take the 1.5 km (less than 1 mile) walk to Hakusan to check out <a href="http://www.mauimikes.jp/">Maui Mike's</a> and get some "fire roasted chicken", That was a decision which I questioned the entire time as I walked up and down the many foothills of Bunkyo ward with the rain steadily falling on me and the puddles soaking into my allegedly water-resistant <a href="http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/lunarglide-5-shield-running-shoe/pid-774307">Nike Lunarglide +5 Shield running shoes</a>.<br />
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Although I have never gone to the original location of Maui Mike's located in Wahiawa on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii, I have eaten my fair share of roasted and grilled chickens in my life. It seems as if they have a pretty decent reputation on Yelp, which is probably something I should have checked BEFORE I decided to check them out. Most other Hawaiian-themed restaurants that I have seen in Tokyo are in places with more foot traffic like Shibuya (<a href="http://www.platelunch.co.jp/">L&L BBQ</a>, <a href="http://www.kua-aina.com/">Kua Aina</a>, <a href="http://daikanyama.alohatable.com/">Aloha Table</a>), Harajuku (<a href="http://www.eggsnthingsjapan.com/">Eggs 'n Things</a>, <a href="http://www.cinnamonstokyo.com/">Cinnamon's</a>, <a href="http://www.cafe-kaila.com/">Cafe Kaila</a>, <a href="http://tbbjapan.co.jp/web/">Teddy's Bigger Burger</a>), or even Akasaka (<a href="http://www.ogohawaii.net/">Ogo Ono Loa Hawaii</a>) so I was puzzled as to how it was decided that Hakusan was to be the location of Maui Mike's second location. Is this to mean that Hakusan is Tokyo's Wahiawa? Even though Wahiawa is far from Honolulu, there are several other popular attractions on the North Shore (Sunset Beach, <a href="http://matsumotoshaveice.com/">Matsumoto Shave Ice</a>, <a href="http://www.tedsbakery.com/">Ted's Bakery</a>, <a href="http://www.dole-plantation.com/">Dole Plantation</a>, <a href="http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Biting-Commentary/January-2014/Best-Kahuku-Shrimp-Truck-Giovannis-Romys-Fumis/">all those Kahuku shrimp trucks/shacks</a>, etc.) that make it worth the drive. In all fairness to Hakusan, it had that nostalgic "real Japan" feeling as many of the shita-machi (下町, "low city", more traditional working-class neighborhoods) do even though Bunkyo ward is not a particularly cheap place to live.<br />
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It was unsurprisingly empty due to the chilly rain, which had been falling since the night before and there was not a single customer on the first floor. I later found out when I went to wash my hands that the second floor is much nicer with a coffee shop-like atmosphere. After some deliberation and exchanging several awkward glances with the very enthusiastic and friendly (or he was just restless because there were no customers?) manager, I ordered half a chicken with onion rings and an oolong tea. The chicken comes with one of 7 different dipping sauces, two if you order half a chicken, so I picked the yuzu pepper and chili.<br />
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This is what it looks like if you order half a chicken with onion rings and chili and yuzu pepper dipping sauce. The chicken was roasted well and the meat was almost "fall off the bone" tender. I know that some people in Japan like to use forks and knives to eat things like burgers and even pizza (!), but I am not that sophisticated. I just grabbed the thigh and started tearing that chicken apart with my hands. If you are the kind of person who also eats chicken like this, then this is not an ideal place for a first date. At first the sauce worked well with the chicken, but I found it to increasingly taste saltier and saltier as I continued to eat. A lot of restaurants tend to localize their menus to better suit the foreign markets they expand into, but perhaps Maui Mike's has not done that yet? Perhaps I have been in Japan so long that extremely salty food (salt stimulates appetite and thirst) which is more common in the US no longer agrees with me? Next time I go I'll try a different combination of sauces, even though I didn't really think that the chicken needed any. The onion rings were a bit of a disappointment, so I'll try the fries next time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bento.com/rev/4372.html">Bento.com's short review</a> mentioned "a surprisingly big cocktail menu in addition to budget wines and Hawaiian beers" but I do not recall seeing a drink menu. In a country where one can get a drink practically anywhere, a restaurant not having alcohol seemed strange. It would have probably been better if there had been a<a href="http://konabrewingco.com/our-beers/"> Kona Brewing Company</a> Firerock Pale Ale or Longboard lager to go with the chicken. At the very least, they had a nice mix of authentic-sounding Hawaiian music playing during the entire time I was there. If chicken sales aren't bringing in enough profits, expanding the menu to include more cafe-like offerings might help bring in more customers, especially since it's right near a train station.<br />
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Knowing nothing of how the original Maui Mike's roasted chicken tastes like and based only on the flavor of the chicken in the Tokyo location, I would have few reservations about recommending this place to anyone looking to get their chicken fix. Is it worth walking 1.5 km in the rain with a leaky umbrella and wet shoes just to eat there? Probably not, especially when there are a lot of cheaper chicken options to be had in Tokyo. If you NEED to have some rotisserie chicken, then as far as I know, this is the place.<br />
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One thing that has definitely changed from the Wahiawa location is the price. Everything seems to be around twice as much as one would pay at the Hawaii location but, fresh all-natural free range chickens must be more expensive to raise in Japan? KFC isn't that cheap in Japan and no one really knows where those chickens come from.<br />
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Maui Mike's is located 1 minute from Exit A3 of Hakusan station on the Toei Mita line. If you take the elevator, simply turn left and walk straight ahead and it will be on the left. If you take the stairs or escalator, make a right handed U-turn after going down the stairs and go straight ahead. Hon-Komagome station on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku line is also close enough to make walking from there an option. Take Exit 1, turn right onto Hongo Dori, turn right at the intersection, walk until the next intersection, take a left at the supermarket, walk straight, turn right before Hakusan station, take the first right, walk straight and it will be on the left.<br />
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Maui Mike's<br />
Hakusan 5-32-13<br />
Everyday: 11am-10pm<br />
03-3830-0139<br />
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<a href="http://mauimikes.com/">US website</a><br />
<a href="http://mauimikes.jp/">Japanese website</a> (where nothing seems to be working as of 2014.04.03)<br />
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<br />mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-57098233331009754992014-03-16T07:13:00.001-07:002014-04-03T07:09:07.872-07:00Banh Mi Sandwich - Takadanobaba, Tokyo<div>
Sometimes when one has been away from their home country for an extended period of time, missing the little things start to pile up. Being from Hawaii, there are the obvious ones: being able to get to the beach in 20-30 minutes depending on traffic, Portuguese sausage at McDonald's, poke on sale in EVERY supermarket, Zippy's chili, powdery shaved ice, not having to wait in line for two hours for decent Western breakfast food. Maybe those were not so obvious, but they are a few of the things I wish I could get more often. Sorry.<br />
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One of the things that may not be so obvious is the banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich which was one of the few amazing things to come out of the French colonizing Vietnam in the 19th-20th century. It's a toasted baguette filled with pickled carrots and daikon julienne, coriander and various meats and vegetables. One of my earliest experiences with the banh mi had to be from when I would be sick at home and my father would bring them home from <a href="http://www.ba-le.com/75-bale-locations">Ba-le (a chain of Vietnamese sandwich shop/bakeries throughout Hawaii)</a> during his lunch breaks when we used to live in the middle of Honolulu. This was not necessarily something I fell in love with immediately because, let's be honest, a sandwich with pickled carrots and daikon in it sounds a bit unusual. Having had quite a few of them with liver paste in them did not help either, but it is an acquired taste.<br />
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Sometimes when you least expect it, the memories associated with certain foods pop back into one's mind and there is nothing else that can be done except to make an effort to satisfy them. Which lead me to the discovery of Banh Mi Sandwich in the Tokyo neighborhood of Takadanobaba.<br />
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There is no shortage of Vietnamese restaurants in Tokyo, but they usually have stuff like pho, curry, or spring rolls. It isn't a bad thing, but if you HAVE TO have a banh mi, it's kind of looking for a breakfast place with crispy bacon or Scottish Bangers and only finding endless streets of "Hawaiian pancakes" smothered in whipped cream and fruit. <br />
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Banh Mi is a tiny shop with two benches out in front for maybe 5-6 customers to sit on while eating their sandwiches. What it may lack in atmosphere, it more than makes up for in taste and freshness.<br />
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Ordering is done by using a ticket vending machine located to the right of the counter. The menu with pictures and the names of the sandwiches in English helps for those who can't read Japanese, but I think the buttons on the machine were only in Japanese. In that case that one is unable to read Japanese, please try your best to match up the Japanese next to the sandwich you want and the characters on the buttons. Since all the sandwiches are 500 yen for a regular and 300 yen for a small (seriously, if you think you need to order a small, go with a friend and share!), you can probably explain which sandwich you meant to order if you get the wrong ticket?<br />
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I have never ordered the small, so I cannot comment on how big or small it is. Perhaps it's my American nature to get the biggest size (within reason), since it wouldn't make sense to me to pay 3/5ths the price for a sandwich which might be 1/2 as large.<br />
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Here is a picture of the menu outside the store, which should be easier to read than the one by the ticket vending machine. I recommend the "Vietnam ham & liver paste", but as I mentioned before, it's a bit of an acquired taste. There's also a shrimp and avocado as well as a vegetable and cheese option. Maybe if you ask them to take out the cheese, it could count as vegan? I've never been (nor probably never will be) a vegan so I cannot be 100% sure. Sorry.<br />
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This is what the "Vietnam ham and liver paste" looks like, if you unwrapped it and took a picture of it with your phone while trying to balance it on your lap. The bread was super flaky and sprayed crumbs everywhere with each bite, but that is EXACTLY what I was hoping for! Combined with the crunchy pickled daikon and carrots, creamy liver paste and ham, and sprig of cilantro, it was as if all my problems vanished. Was that too much?<br />
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Banh Mi: the cure for the common sandwich!<br />
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Part of me felt sorry that there were so many people nearby who were probably at a Lawson or Family Mart, right at the very same moment, buying a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread (why did I need to specify what kind of bread it is? ALL the convenience store sandwiches use white bread!). I even felt sorry for people who were fortunate enough to be at Natural Lawson and could be getting a fancy healthy sandwich on wheat bread. Yes, even the people having their sandwiches custom made by a Sandwich Artist at Subway, I felt bad for them as well.<br />
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Since it had been so long since I had a banh mi, I immediately stood up, sending bread crumbs flying everywhere, and went back in to order another sandwich. I got a roast pork, maybe to continue with the pork theme? I don't remember what my thought process was aside from "eat another sandwich!".<br />
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I really wish I could explain more about how the roast pork sandwich tasted, but I'll be honest; it was a few months ago, so I forgot. I'll edit this post after I go back, sometime next week or so. Sorry.<br /><br /><b>Update</b>: So I went back last week after two unsuccessful attempts in the previous weeks. The first failure was because it was holiday and they closed at 5pm (I got there around 6pm) and the second was because I showed up around 5pm and they had already sold out of all the sandwiches. I rode my bike there and was starving, only to find two university students (that had obviously never been there before and were quite indecisive) in front of me. After waiting what seemed like a short eternity, I marched straight to the machine and ordered a full-sized Vietnamese Ham and Liver Paste and devoured it in short order. That was when I learned that one should not lean back or even try to sit straight up when eating the sandwich because the liquid from the vegetables has a tendency to drip out of the paper that it's wrapped in.<br /><br />As it had been several months since I last had a banh mi, I decided to get some for dinner and breakfast the next day. I heard one of the workers say that they only had 7 sandwiches left, so I ducked back into the store and ordered a roast beef and a roast chicken. Sandwiches safely acquired, I jumped back on my bike and rode home. Meanwhile, the two university students that had arrived before me were still eating the one small size sandwich that they were sharing.<br />
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It's kind of difficult to tell how much roast beef there was in the sandwich based on this picture, but believe me (some random person writing about stuff on the Internet), there was lots of peppery deliciousness underneath all that daikon and carrots. Unfortunately, the roast chicken that I saved for the next morning did not handle being refrigerated and then microwaved several hours later particularly well. The bread was still chewy but no longer flaky and crunchy. The daikon and carrots were soft and limp, drained of their former crispness. The lesson to take away from my error in judgement is to avoid microwaving food that only maintains maximum flavor for a few minutes after it is made. Have you ever tried to microwave McDonald's french fries before? It was pretty much like that.</div>
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Banh Mi is located about a 5-minute walk from Takadanobaba Station Exit 1 (Tokyo Metro) or JR/Seibu Waseda exit. Once you leave the station, take your first right, go right, take two lefts, and it should be on your right. Perhaps, I will try to get tech and add a Google Maps thing later?<br />
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Banh Mi Sandwich<br />
Takadanobaba 4-9-18<br />
Tuesday-Friday: 11am-7pm<br />
Saturday: 11am-6pm<br />
Holidays: 11am-5pm<br />
Closed: Sunday & Monday<br />
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<br />mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-25311160528592213782013-08-16T05:13:00.002-07:002013-08-16T05:32:02.175-07:00Afro Nest - Naha, OkinawaLocated off the main street of Kokusai-Dori in downtown Naha, Afro Nest is not your usual bar. First of all, all the workers are really friendly and they have AFROS! While there are wigs provided for customers who want to join in on the fun, the staff spare no expense (a quick search reveals that an afro perm costs around 10,000yen) to metamorphose their manes into flocculent 'fros (was it too much to try for the alliteration?). For a reason unexplained (because I didn't ask or remember?), they also all wear orange/red overalls, which thinking about it now, reminds me of Super Mario. <br />
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Secondly, they have (at least they did in 2012) a 3-hour all-you-can drink (<i>nomihoudai</i>) option for the fiscally irresponsible price of 2000yen! I was told that every drink marked with a star was eligible, which seemed like half the drink menu! Afro Nest is located in a basement floor so you need to keep your eyes at street level while wandering the back alleys for the sign pictured below. The picture next to it is of the staff members: I did not ask why they put a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio. Sorry.<br />
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Pictured below is the Jerk Chicken which as you can see, has white wine poured on it and set ablaze BEFORE you eat it. Since this was the first time I had jerk chicken, I was not sure if this was customary or something they do for dramatic effect. If nothing else, it made for a good picture. What little I do know about jerk chicken is that it is spicy, and while it was not dangerously spicy, it was still quite good. As much as restaurants in Japan succeed at the presentation of food, it seems that food that is actually spicy, save for wasabi, is not remotely spicy. Someone with more experience (a seasoned veteran perhaps?) with jerk chicken may have a different opinion of Afro Nest's particular version, but I had no complaints because honestly, it's tasty chicken and they set it on fire. </div>
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The second time I went back, I ordered the Afro Rice, which is their fancy version of one of my favorite Okinawan-American fusion foods, taco rice. It is what it sounds like: the fillings of a taco on top of rice instead of inside a tortilla. This version is an upgrade to usual taco rice, not just because they went and made it into a tower of rice, ground beef, salsa, and cheese, but they added a fried egg, which transforms it into some kind of loco moco-taco rice hybrid! Compared to some of the horrific attempts at making something resembling a loco moco that I have seen in Japan, I was surprised that I have never seen this variant before because it's brilliant!<br />
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Aside from the food and drinks, the atmosphere of Afro Nest is light and friendly as well as full of heart. One of the nights I was there, some of the customers were having a birthday party which featured the manager playing "Happy Birthday" on the melodica while the cake was brought out, followed by another staff member reading a sentimental letter written by the guest of honor's friends while the quintessentially sentimental <a href="http://youtu.be/YqdjoL102_s">Oda Kazumasa's 言葉にできない (<i>Kotoba ni dekinai</i>)</a> played softly in the background. The one who read the letter, the youngest staff member (I think he was 19 at the time), "Anakin", also claimed to be good at monomane (imitation) as shown in the pictures below where he does his best <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVckuF7E_mw">魔貫光殺砲 (<i>makankosappo</i>), literally translated as Demonic Piercing Light Murder Gun or "Special Beam Cannon" as performed by Piccolo in Dragon Ball</a>.<br />
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I regret that it took long for me to start blogging as over a year has passed since I have been to Okinawa and many of the details of my visits to Afro Nest are not as clear as they used to but hopefully, I was able to convey some small part of how much I like and must recommend it. I will try to edit this post as I get more information and/or remember more (or when I go back again).There are a few tables but, unless you're with a large group or having a special event, sit at the counter to get the full experience and faster service.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Meiryo, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', 'MS Pゴシック', Osaka, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="region" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Meiryo, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', 'MS Pゴシック', Osaka, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">沖縄県那覇市久茂地3-9-11</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Meiryo, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', 'MS Pゴシック', Osaka, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="locality" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Meiryo, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', 'MS Pゴシック', Osaka, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">アーバンビルB1 050-5796-3326</span><br />
<span class="locality" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Meiryo, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', 'MS Pゴシック', Osaka, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Okinawa-ken Naha-shi Kumoji 3-9-11 A-ban Building B1 050-5796-3326</span><br />
<span class="locality" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Meiryo, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', 'MS Pゴシック', Osaka, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">19:00 - 5:00 (7pm - 5am)</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/AFRO-NEST%E3%82%A2%E3%83%95%E3%83%AD%E3%83%8D%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88/235848963100081">Afro Nest's Facebook page</a><br />
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<br />mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-72301778406610511132013-08-09T11:27:00.002-07:002013-08-09T21:56:27.916-07:00Soybean Farm - Kichijoji, Tokyo I was in Kichijoji earlier today and decided I wanted to try somewhere different and ended up checking out Soybean Farm, which is a stylish little place on the north side of Kichijoji station (JR Chuo-Sobu, Tokyo Metro Tozai, and Keio Inkashira lines). Unlike previous entries, I was not so particular in detailing how I got there, but I will provide the address at the end so you can use your smartphone's map app to find it. Even if not, it's pretty much a straight line from Penny Lane, one of the named shopping alleys off of Sun Road (the main shotengai). Below is a picture and if I had gone during the day, the sign would probably be easier to see (and I would have been melting in the summer heat as well).<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">From what I had heard about this place, Soybean Farm is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso">miso</a> soup place and right when you enter, there are several barrels of miso<span style="font-family: inherit;"> for sale. For those of you from Hawaii or o</span></span>ther places where <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_seed">crack seed</a> (話梅) is sold, the front of the shop looks kind of similar to one of those places. Perhaps next time I will check them out more carefully and buy some since it seems like every time I buy miso from the supermarket, I end up using only a tiny amount and throwing away the rest months later. Maybe if I raise the stakes and buy some fancy miso from a faraway land, I will be more inclined to cook things with it? Maybe not. <br />
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So I couldn't decide what to get, and citing the fact that I barely ate anything all day, I went with the omakase dinner. It's considerably more than what I would spend for dinner but I justified it because I have definitely spent more than 2800円 before on drinks alone and also because I've decided to try and be one of those "food blogger people". With exception of the after-dinner drink, I went with everything on the left side of the menu. I completely forgot to take a picture of this menu while I was trying to decide what to get so I ended up taking it right before I went to go pay.</div>
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First up was the 牛舌みそ漬けサラダ (<i>gyuu tan miso zuke sarada</i>) or "pickled beef tongue salad". I get that some people might be kind of grossed out about eating the tongue of a cow (I know, I have seen an entire beef tongue in my freezer before; it's gigantic!), but it is by far one of the best parts in my opinion. In this case, the beef is an almost beef jerky, or pipikaula (Hawaiian beef dish) sort of consistency. It's served on top of a few leaved of lettuce on top of shoestring-sliced (julienned?) radish and cucumber and a single baby tomato on the side. The dressing seemed to be made of some kind of sesame and miso and was semi-sweet. It almost did not feel like a salad because there was so much beef, but I wasn't complaining.</div>
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Next was the ゴマクリームソースロールキャベツ(<i>goma kuriimu sousu rouru kyabetsu</i>) or "sesame cream sauce <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_roll">rolled cabbage</a>" and the rice. I don't really eat rolled cabbage that often, but it is something that <span style="font-family: inherit;">is fairly common in Japan, so much so that it has been used to describe men that seem to be passive (</span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbivore_men">sōshoku danshi</a></i>) on the outside but are actually aggressive (<i>nikushoku danshi</i>) because it's meat wrapped in vegetables. The opposite of a "rolled-cabbage man" would be a "bacon asparagus man" since it's a vegetable wrapped in meat. Anyway, click the links and learn more on your own time. </div>
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While the rolled cabbage was quite good, I have no idea what kind of meat they put inside it, and I did not even ask (typical man?). The sauce was creamy sesame (and probably miso) based and went well with the rice which I dipped in it. The problem with that was that the rice was not quite as sticky as I am used to and fell apart so I used a spoon to scoop up the remaining grains (for 2800円 I wasn't going to leave any food to waste if I could help it!). I was surprised to see that the rice was not just a scoop on a place as I have been used to getting at other places and was wrapped in nori with a dollop of tart miso paste (it reminded me of <i>Gohan desu yo!</i>, what is the Japanese word for that stuff anyway?). Due to the aforementioned issue with the rice, I had to use the chopsticks and/or the spoon to get it completely on the rice.</div>
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The ポトフ(<i>potofu</i>) or pot-au-feu, French for "pot on the fire", literally a beef stew (my aren't they fancy with their fusion French-Japanese food?) was dominated by three large slices of simmered daikon that were firm yet soft with a few Japanese mushrooms (which I see all the time but have no idea what they are called), carrot and onion slices, a lone floret of broccoli, wedge of potato, and two chunks of stewed beef. There was a tiny scoop of dijon mustard which lent an almost corned beef and cabbage flavor to the dish. I wish I was more knowledgable about cooking soup so I could better explain the flavor of the broth, but for now I will settle for describing it as "light and refreshing" or "humble and unpretentious". In less ridiculous terms, it tasted like most Japanese soup broth taste but not quite so familiar. The beef was slightly juice and broke apart as slow-cooked meat should in the mouth.</div>
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The name of this dish is (in Japanese): ことこと煮こんだ牛肉と大根 (<i>kotokoto nikonda gyuuniku to daikon</i>), and literally translated into English as: "simmering (noise) cooked beef and radish", but I could be mistaken. "Menu Japanese" still presents a problem since the only time I see it is when I am looking at a menu. At the very least, "menu Japanese" tends to have a few more familiar characters in the names of things, but if all else fails, one can just point to it right?</div>
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For the プチデザート (<i>puchi dezaato</i>), "tiny dessert", I picked the 西京みそチーズケーキ (<i>saikyou miso cheesecake</i>) which apparently has as one of the ingredients, a special Kyoto-style white miso known for its sweetness. That is not a giant fork, the slice of cheesecake was bite-sized, but after having had everything else that came before it, I wasn't exactly craving something that looked like it came from <a href="http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu/Cheesecake/">The Cheesecake Factory</a>. I did not take a picture of the iced tea that came with it because, in all honesty, how exciting is a glass of tea really?</div>
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In conclusion, Soybean Farm is a nice place with a relaxing atmosphere, polite staff, and good food even if it is not the kind of place that I would find myself frequenting. It might be because of the atmosphere of the place made me feel like I should be on an awkward lunch date with a Japanese girl who typically wears those semi-translucent smock-like loose fitting collared shirts buttoned all the way up over a black camisole, shorts or skirts that are baggy enough to leave everything to the imagination, and some kind of boot-like high heeled shoes. I am at a loss for a term to describe this look but there has to be one with all the young women I see wearing it in Tokyo. Perhaps I will edit this entry when I figure out the term for this kind of fashion is? The point is, Soybean Farm is a nice place, but it might be a little too "proper" for my liking. The entire time I was there, there were only women customers. Maybe this is a similar feeling that women get when they go to a ramen or gyudon place alone? Maybe it was all the estrogen in the soy getting to me? Maybe I'm just rambling because it's almost 3:30am?</div>
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Soybean Farm<br />
Kichijoji Honcho 2-15-2. Open 11:30am-2:30, 5:30-9:30pm (LO) 0422-21-0272<br />
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吉祥寺本町2-15-2 11時30分ー14時30分, 17時30分ー9時30分</div>
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<br />mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-20077832094354674432013-08-08T05:50:00.000-07:002013-08-08T06:04:37.380-07:00Chili Parlor 9 - Kudanshita, Tokyo I do not claim to be any sort of expert on chili, but having grown up in Hawaii and having eaten <a href="http://www.zippys.com/#">Zippy's</a> chili since "hanabata days" (Hawaiian Pidgin English for "since I was a wee lad"), it's definitely on my list of comfort foods. As good and affordable as Japanese food is in a city like Tokyo, occasionally those cravings for something familiar start appearing from out of the shadows. For example, I don't really eat Mexican food that often when I'm stateside, but after a few months of eating stuff like gyudon, curry, and kaisendon on a daily basis, I start hearing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8sZ1DWsAHE">"yo quiero Taco Bell"</a> in my head. However, that is a story for another blog entry to be written in the near future, today's entry is about chili.<br />
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I saw a <a href="http://www.bento.com/rev/4214.html">review for this place Chili Parlor 9 pop up on bento.com</a>, which is a site I use often when looking for new places to check out in Tokyo. The only gripe I have with the site is that most of the places I find myself in often (Hongo and Mitaka) don't seem to have a lot of places listed, but maybe that's because they don't really have that many? Bento.com's review claims that this place is "Tokyo's only specialty chili restaurant" and so I had to go check it out. Because they're only open from 8am-8pm Monday through Friday, I gave up trying to go there at 7pm a few days earlier. The fact that they are located squarely in the middle of three different train stations did not help either. Google maps does not compensate walking time for traffic, hills, stairs or crowds when estimating walking times.<br />
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When I finally decided to go, I walked from Ichigaya station (JR Sobu, Tokyo Metro Yurakucho, Tokyo Metro Nanboku, or Toei Shinjuku lines) but it is also accessible from Iidabashi station (JR Sobu, Tokyo Metro Yurakucho, Tokyo Metro Nanboku, Tokyo Metro Tozai, and Toei Shinjuku lines) and Kudanshita station (Tokyo Metro Hanzomon, Tokyo Metro Tozai, and Toei Shinjuku lines). Regardless of which station you might be coming from, prepare to walk for about 1km (a little over half a mile for Americans). Chili Parlor 9 is located across the street from the South entrance of Yasukuni Shrine and right down the street from the Budokan, so you can add sightseeing to the agenda, instead of just making it a "food mission" as I did. I would have done more sightseeing but when it's sunny, 33<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">°</span>C (92<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">°</span>F) and over 70% humidity outside, the feelings of "I'll check it out next time" or "I'll just Google what it looks like later" outweigh any feelings of wanderlust.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1DF7ijUurE/UgOG7p5fyPI/AAAAAAAABJA/Nb0Ki1Kjh_8/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1DF7ijUurE/UgOG7p5fyPI/AAAAAAAABJA/Nb0Ki1Kjh_8/s1600/005.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chili Parlor 9 as seen from the street corner </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South entrance of Yasukuni shrine</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch menu</td></tr>
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As seen on the menu, chili comes with either rice, bread or a bread bowl and the option of either cheddar cheese of sour cream. There is also vegetarian chili and a "chili of the day" (which got cut off at the bottom of the picture). Looking at the picture of the menu again, I am kicking myself for not getting the Chili with hot dog or sandwich (hummus sandwich!) set or trying the Sanktgallen microbrew ale. Looks like I need to go back again "for further research" in the near future. I ordered the "Standard Beef Chili" (Large) in a bread bowl with cheddar cheese and an "onsen (poached) egg" (1000円). While the idea of chili with bread instead of rice seemed bizarre to me, how often does one get to eat something in a bread bowl aside from clam chowder in San Francisco?<br />
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In addition to the chili, there is a small salad and a bowl of cole slaw, which is also in a jar on the counter next to another jar filled with what appears to be homemade pickled vegetables. Which means, "all you can eat cole slaw and pickles! The pickles were good; as a guest on a variety show might say, "it makes you want some white rice to go with it" but the cole slaw might have been too fancy for my liking. But then again, if anyone out there really likes cole slaw, please direct me to some good stuff. If it's any consolation, this stuff was "streets ahead" of the mysterious green slop that KFC passes off as cole slaw. While not as meaty or spicy as I would have liked, at least there were 3 different hot sauces available to add some heat. The main problem was trying to figure out which one was the hottest since all the labels had the word "mellow" on them. Next time I will take pictures of the sauces as well as not wait until I am starving to go there so I can pay more attention. Adding chopped onions and cilantro to the chili made it seem fancier than other chilis I have had before, but at the same time, it's like adding avocados to <span style="font-family: inherit;">pok<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 17.765625px;">e</span></span></span>. </div>
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Aside from the guy a few seats over at the counter sighing as if he was having the worst day of his life, atmosphere was nice. As an American-themed restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised to not hear a single familiar song playing in the background the entire time I was there. No rare feat since the music sounded like it came from an oldies station playlist and I spent many many hours in Honolulu traffic listening to the local oldies station when every other station seemed to play the same terrible songs every hour on the hour. But the state of radio in Hawaii is a topic for another time (and maybe another blogger who actually listens to the radio in Hawaii). In closing, I will be going back to Chili Parlor 9, perhaps when the weather is not trying to melt my face, perhaps earlier in the day to see what their breakfast menu looks like.</div>
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P.S. Why is it Chili Parlor 9? Are there 8 other locations? If not, what happened to them? Is this some arbitrary "add a number" naming ploy? Why is the K-pop group named 4 Minute when there are 5 members? <br />
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Kudan-Minami 3-7-12. Open 8am-8pm. Closed Sundays. 03-3234-2309</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">東京都千代田区九段南</span></span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14px;">3-7-12 営業 8時ー20時 休業日曜日</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
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mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-16924949607067831522013-07-30T07:15:00.001-07:002013-08-09T11:24:36.059-07:00Kohrinbo 香林坊 - Nakano, Tokyo<div>
I was going to try writing a review/entry about places that I go to often, but I got a bit pressured out and decided to instead, write about a place I have only been to once. </div>
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Located on the second floor of the Nakano Broadway shopping center at the end of Nakano Sun Plaza shopping street, Kohrinbo 香林坊 caught my eye as I was looking for places to eat located along the JR Chuo line. It's a small place run by a nice Taiwanese woman and with the exception of eggs, the food is meat-free. I'm by no means a vegetarian, but I have noticed that it seems to be pretty difficult to get vegetarian food, or even a decent salad that isn't 90% shredded cabbage in Tokyo.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKpeISOPmSg/UfeV-AjPUiI/AAAAAAAABHw/DTxwhbCH8s8/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKpeISOPmSg/UfeV-AjPUiI/AAAAAAAABHw/DTxwhbCH8s8/s640/025.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Even though I was trying to be healthy, I was not sure what to get and settled on the "Adherence to a Vegetarian Diet Cutlet Set" (精進カツ定食, <i>shoujin katsu teishoku</i>, it really loses something in translation doesn't it?)for 1000円 and was pretty pleased with what I received.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7vZMpozmtc/UfeXOU9ATBI/AAAAAAAABH8/7lAHzbdbNdc/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7vZMpozmtc/UfeXOU9ATBI/AAAAAAAABH8/7lAHzbdbNdc/s640/032.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It comes with two slices of pickled daikon, pickled eggplant, a nut (not sure what kind) omelette, a konbu soup and a bowl of rice (which you can apparently get a refill for free). The soup was light and refreshing in comparison to miso soup that tends to come with most food in Japan. The pickled eggplant was slightly tart and there was nothing particularly outstanding about the daikon (I usually don't expect much since I figure a lot of places just use the kind that comes in a jar from the supermarket). The omelette was nice, but with my terrible chopstick skills, it was a bit difficult to cut into bite-sized pieces. The imitation pork cutlet was not oily and with exception of the small pieces of carrot, didn't taste that much different than pork although it was a bit drier. It didn't really need any tonkatsu sauce as it was fine by itself, and even if it wasn't, the sauce dispenser seemed to be quite stubborn, not yielding any more than a thin ribbon of sauce despite my efforts.</div>
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Kohrinbo is open every day except Sunday 11:30am-3pm and 5-8pm. You can get there by taking either the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line (light blue) or JR Chuo/Sobu to Nakano Station and taking the North Exit. Walk across the street to Nakano Sun Plaza until you get to Nakano Broadway, turn right and take the stairs to the second floor (the escalator goes straight to the third floor), turn right at Madarake and Kohrinbo is at the end of the hallway.</div>
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Anyway, this was my first attempt at writing a food blog entry. I hope it gets better as I keep doing it. I will either edit this entry or add another when I go back to Kohrinbo and try something else.</div>
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Kohrinbo</div>
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Nakano 5-52-15, Nakano Broadway 2F. Open 11:30am-3:30, 5-8pm. Closed Sundays. 03-3385-7005</div>
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中野 5-52-15、中野ブロードウェイ 2F 11時30分ー15時30分, 17時-20時、休業日曜日</div>
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mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-39064710093389183862013-07-30T02:48:00.001-07:002013-07-30T02:48:57.423-07:00Food Photography Leads to Food Blogging? 2013.07.30 Anyone who follows me on Instagram (@sneakermania) knows that I take a lot of pictures of food and after receiving several "where is that?" comments, I have decided that maybe now is the time to move beyond simply taking pictures. Another reason for this is because, in the aftermath of my Master's thesis, I have decided that I should be writing more and more often, since writing is not something that someone is simply good at, that can be brought out and used as needed.<br />
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As they say, "if you don't use it, you lose it", and I feel this is particularly true as communication online has become increasingly truncated due to micro-blogs and other social media platform usage. For a while, I was more on the side of thinking that having communication limited to 140 characters or a simple picture/video/link with a caption was a good thing because it freed people from from having to make such a big deal of what they post online, unlike a blog. I even thought of blogs as a sort of relic of Web 1.0, but perhaps I was just trying to ignore the degradation of my own writing skills?<br />
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Anyways, it's been a while since I updated this blog and it's been even longer since I can remember having to write on a regular basis. I don't expect to have any brilliant writing in the beginning (or ever?) but at the very least, I have pictures that need words to go with them, and it would probably help to have more than a geotag or caption for future reference. There may eventually be a benefit to people who bother to read this blog, but for now the motivation is purely selfish. Sorry.mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-45089202875579122432012-05-04T06:35:00.000-07:002012-05-04T06:35:05.883-07:002010.07.23 Tenjin Matsuri Gal Mikoshi<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB_V8zpfjI/AAAAAAAABEI/r2QuX1B8hA4/s1600/IMG_2550.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521553158232964658" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB_V8zpfjI/AAAAAAAABEI/r2QuX1B8hA4/s320/IMG_2550.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
The last time I was at Tenjinbashi there were posters everywhere advertising a Gal Mikoshi, so I figured the least I could do was check it out. Not realizing that this was only part of the gigantic annual Tenjin Matsuri that had been going on for hundreds of years in Osaka.<br />
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It's somewhere on this line, I think.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB_iIVTwjI/AAAAAAAABEQ/ay-VG0KQ7yM/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521553367485366834" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB_iIVTwjI/AAAAAAAABEQ/ay-VG0KQ7yM/s320/IMG_2375.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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In America, Subway is advertised as a healthy fast food place. In Japan, they have ice cream floats at Subway.<br />
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Back to Chigusa for a Chigusa-yaki! I started cutting it before I took the picture. Doh! <br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB0yE8lSvI/AAAAAAAABCA/dpYwqHv9PMU/s1600/IMG_2377.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521541546826353394" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB0yE8lSvI/AAAAAAAABCA/dpYwqHv9PMU/s320/IMG_2377.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB0yalDspI/AAAAAAAABCI/CDdMoL_3HYU/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521541552633262738" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB0yalDspI/AAAAAAAABCI/CDdMoL_3HYU/s320/IMG_2378.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
According to the owner at Chigusa, the Mikoshi was going to be starting around 3 or so so I went down by the KFC where people already started gathering and setting up. I was thinking about blurring out the Colonel since he's in 99.9% of the pics to follow but for that same reason, I didn't do it. Too much trouble for nothing.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB2DpMK5MI/AAAAAAAABCQ/DpAve-rBtxA/s1600/IMG_2380.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521542948124812482" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB2DpMK5MI/AAAAAAAABCQ/DpAve-rBtxA/s320/IMG_2380.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB2Dz-DsSI/AAAAAAAABCY/KUVSBSRcosc/s1600/IMG_2383.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521542951018410274" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB2Dz-DsSI/AAAAAAAABCY/KUVSBSRcosc/s320/IMG_2383.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB2EMcNnwI/AAAAAAAABCg/QC4DULWGyiY/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521542957587341058" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB2EMcNnwI/AAAAAAAABCg/QC4DULWGyiY/s320/IMG_2384.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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I wish I had the ability to have video-ed this since still photos don't really capture the energy of this event. It was at least 15-20 minutes straight of the girls rocking the 3 mikoshi back and forth and chanting "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!" There were people with giant fans, but in that heat it was only moving around hot air.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4nn0DjWI/AAAAAAAABDY/yWrszSfWkZM/s1600/IMG_2504.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521545765253778786" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4nn0DjWI/AAAAAAAABDY/yWrszSfWkZM/s320/IMG_2504.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4nYTDbLI/AAAAAAAABDQ/0REqamoOfwI/s1600/IMG_2462.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521545761088826546" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4nYTDbLI/AAAAAAAABDQ/0REqamoOfwI/s320/IMG_2462.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4m6X8_CI/AAAAAAAABDI/XvWJxpW5ovA/s1600/IMG_2424.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521545753056312354" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4m6X8_CI/AAAAAAAABDI/XvWJxpW5ovA/s320/IMG_2424.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4mVic1CI/AAAAAAAABDA/3oBFiFkIBaY/s1600/IMG_2420.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521545743168230434" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB4mVic1CI/AAAAAAAABDA/3oBFiFkIBaY/s320/IMG_2420.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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The girls finally put the mikoshi down on some stands and the closing ceremony began.<br />
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This picture reminds me of 20 Century Boys since they're doing the "Tomodachi sign".<br />
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Confetti<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB9lF80MSI/AAAAAAAABDw/0iGvFE5-CcQ/s1600/IMG_2520.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521551219362115874" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB9lF80MSI/AAAAAAAABDw/0iGvFE5-CcQ/s320/IMG_2520.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Then they started tossing people in the air.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB9laqXqpI/AAAAAAAABD4/y02M_sEKLM0/s1600/IMG_2533.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521551224921893522" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB9laqXqpI/AAAAAAAABD4/y02M_sEKLM0/s320/IMG_2533.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
The girl went really high!<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB9lnHOGSI/AAAAAAAABEA/mmKkRGHdMKM/s1600/IMG_2537.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521551228264126754" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKB9lnHOGSI/AAAAAAAABEA/mmKkRGHdMKM/s320/IMG_2537.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Anyway, that was pretty much the highlight of the day. I don't remember if I did anything else after since I'm only finishing this post almost 2 years after it happened! OTL<br />
<br />mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-50593533488978321172010-08-12T07:05:00.001-07:002010-08-21T02:03:20.926-07:002010.08.02 Shiodome, NaritaMade plans to meet up with my Lea, my sister, on the day I was leaving. Since she was working that day, we had to go meet up near her workplace in Shiodome around lunch time. After checking out of the hotel at 10, I wanted to go try check out a few places before then.<br /><br />Saw some guys pushing a shrine into a shop. I wonder if they were getting ready for a mikoshi or just getting over one.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5CptPLetI/AAAAAAAAAjg/MOflbPoUuOs/s1600/IMG_3711.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5CptPLetI/AAAAAAAAAjg/MOflbPoUuOs/s320/IMG_3711.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507412678606027474" /></a><br /><br />Was riding the Keihin-Tohoku to try and check out Yokohama when I got a text, so I got off and switched to the train going in the opposite direction to get to Shiodome. <br /><br />Don't know the significance, but there was a train in a little park-type area that can be seen from the platform.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5Co5mNi_I/AAAAAAAAAjY/lHS4p3Sl2Kg/s1600/IMG_3712.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5Co5mNi_I/AAAAAAAAAjY/lHS4p3Sl2Kg/s320/IMG_3712.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507412664743988210" /></a><br /><br />After some misunderstanding, we were able to meet up and hit up the buffet @ Restaurant Harmony in the Royal Park Shiodome Tower. If you have the chance and a big appetite, you should definitely go!<br /><br />My sister is too quick to be caught off guard by a camera.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G4YSQ7mI/AAAAAAAAAkw/mMu96Dy3tkI/s1600/IMG_3723.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G4YSQ7mI/AAAAAAAAAkw/mMu96Dy3tkI/s320/IMG_3723.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507417328726371938" /></a><br /><br />Foie gras omelette!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5DvKqtDdI/AAAAAAAAAjo/RN0Ytem2EnI/s1600/IMG_3716.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5DvKqtDdI/AAAAAAAAAjo/RN0Ytem2EnI/s320/IMG_3716.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507413871917075922" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5Dvt7v9cI/AAAAAAAAAjw/fRSMZobM_Wk/s1600/IMG_3715.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5Dvt7v9cI/AAAAAAAAAjw/fRSMZobM_Wk/s320/IMG_3715.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507413881383810498" /></a><br /><br />Curry!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5DwYvYarI/AAAAAAAAAkA/S8tN3ThWeBY/s1600/IMG_3718.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5DwYvYarI/AAAAAAAAAkA/S8tN3ThWeBY/s320/IMG_3718.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507413892874660530" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G3Ev6kCI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/Kvz_OL1-ZIs/s1600/IMG_3720.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G3Ev6kCI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/Kvz_OL1-ZIs/s320/IMG_3720.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507417306302156834" /></a><br /><br />Talt! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5DwNa-PmI/AAAAAAAAAj4/l4K3LUmgXAo/s1600/IMG_3717.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5DwNa-PmI/AAAAAAAAAj4/l4K3LUmgXAo/s320/IMG_3717.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507413889836269154" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G3aU55QI/AAAAAAAAAkY/CaSvMPxH0s4/s1600/IMG_3721.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G3aU55QI/AAAAAAAAAkY/CaSvMPxH0s4/s320/IMG_3721.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507417312094446850" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5Dw2KozdI/AAAAAAAAAkI/g5VS-kRmadE/s1600/IMG_3719.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5Dw2KozdI/AAAAAAAAAkI/g5VS-kRmadE/s320/IMG_3719.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507413900773608914" /></a><br /><br />The goma dessert was good but the portion was too much and it looked creepy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G3qbI4iI/AAAAAAAAAkg/blfrrSYJ3AQ/s1600/IMG_3724.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G3qbI4iI/AAAAAAAAAkg/blfrrSYJ3AQ/s320/IMG_3724.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507417316415562274" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G4GwGtUI/AAAAAAAAAko/osmfabNLxTA/s1600/IMG_3725.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG5G4GwGtUI/AAAAAAAAAko/osmfabNLxTA/s320/IMG_3725.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507417324019692866" /></a><br />No problems with the citrus sherbet though.<br /><br />After the biggest lunch I remember having in a while, Lea had to go back to work but, after hearing about my neck issues due to the bad pillow at the hotel, she offered me her monthly massage voucher @ Temomin. The massage wasn't as hard as the place I usually go to in Honolulu, but the service was nice and relaxing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG8kyrQPBwI/AAAAAAAAAk4/Wz2H_aZl2sQ/s1600/IMG_3727.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG8kyrQPBwI/AAAAAAAAAk4/Wz2H_aZl2sQ/s320/IMG_3727.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507661322320283394" /></a><br /><br />It was suggested that I could go check out Ginza, but with the insane amount of sweat I was in danger of generating due to the heat, I took a break in a Starbucks before I decided to head back to the hotel and grab my luggage.<br /><br />On the way back to the station, I checked out a bunch of the displays and events going on outside. <br /><br />Miyazaki-esque wooden thing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OmWSjFUI/AAAAAAAAAmI/yAXB04hlVf0/s1600/IMG_3726.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OmWSjFUI/AAAAAAAAAmI/yAXB04hlVf0/s320/IMG_3726.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507777658766955842" /></a><br /><br />Shiny rock sculpture.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-Ol0h-N-I/AAAAAAAAAmA/ER9CzpzfvPw/s1600/IMG_3728.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-Ol0h-N-I/AAAAAAAAAmA/ER9CzpzfvPw/s320/IMG_3728.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507777649704843234" /></a><br />Yamazaki Ryo's artwork.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OljIbXQI/AAAAAAAAAl4/0E9-05jmewI/s1600/IMG_3729.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OljIbXQI/AAAAAAAAAl4/0E9-05jmewI/s320/IMG_3729.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507777645034298626" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OlFMCpAI/AAAAAAAAAlw/w_SOxB1np44/s1600/IMG_3730.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OlFMCpAI/AAAAAAAAAlw/w_SOxB1np44/s320/IMG_3730.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507777636996391938" /></a><br /><br />Shiodome Expo 2010<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OkvUiGnI/AAAAAAAAAlo/fFv53CMAsbs/s1600/IMG_3731.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-OkvUiGnI/AAAAAAAAAlo/fFv53CMAsbs/s320/IMG_3731.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507777631126428274" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-M0hQPz7I/AAAAAAAAAlg/AsnOn995RgY/s1600/IMG_3732.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-M0hQPz7I/AAAAAAAAAlg/AsnOn995RgY/s320/IMG_3732.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507775703205007282" /></a><br /><br />The guy with the hat had a really high voice.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-Mzx4jdzI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/ewV2XKQilZw/s1600/IMG_3736.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-Mzx4jdzI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/ewV2XKQilZw/s320/IMG_3736.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507775690489165618" /></a><br /><br />The two girls might be Cherry Pie, a comedy duo.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-MzbuDgRI/AAAAAAAAAlI/4dElEle-Yds/s1600/IMG_3737.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-MzbuDgRI/AAAAAAAAAlI/4dElEle-Yds/s320/IMG_3737.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507775684539547922" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-MzG5sOhI/AAAAAAAAAlA/qrRo6Kvb8KY/s1600/IMG_3738.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-MzG5sOhI/AAAAAAAAAlA/qrRo6Kvb8KY/s320/IMG_3738.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507775678951209490" /></a><br /><br />There was some exhibit for one of my favorite shows, DERO!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-Pw2kigjI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/Qsduk8mY0T4/s1600/IMG_3734.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-Pw2kigjI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/Qsduk8mY0T4/s320/IMG_3734.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507778938742669874" /></a><br /><br />I guess I had not been able to fully explain the extent of my JR Pass privileges to Junko since her latest plan was to ride the JR from Ueno to Narita Airport (even though it would have been faster for me to catch the Narita Express from Tokyo Station and for her to catch the Keisei from Ikebukuro.<br /><br />So the plan was to ride the Joban Line from Ueno, even though it stopped at Narita Station (not Narita Airport) and transfer to the Yokosuka Line Sobu Line. The Joban may have been designated as a Rapid Train, but I could have been fooled by the amount of times it stopped. At one point, the train stopped for almost 10 minutes at one of the stations. I'm guessing this was because there was only one track and a train was coming in the opposite direction. Train was super crowded so until people started clearing out, my feet were smashed by my bag which I tried to pull in as close as possible.<br /><br />Anyways, we eventually got to Narita Station and it becomes rather apparent that Junko has probably never been here before and/or didn't know how to get to the airport from here. As we're waiting for the next Yokosuka Line Sobu Line train to get us to the airport, I am finally able to explain fully that the JR Pass I bought allowed me to ride the Narita Express, so we didn't have to take the cheaper, slower trains.<br /><br />Junko's "I had no idea, sorry. Nothing I can do but read Conan until the next train comes" expression.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-SziRPXuI/AAAAAAAAAmY/l9GSKNuZX9k/s1600/IMG_3740.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-SziRPXuI/AAAAAAAAAmY/l9GSKNuZX9k/s320/IMG_3740.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507782283367505634" /></a><br /><br />After transferring at Narita Station, we finally made it to the Airport, almost 3 hours after we left Ueno Station! Well maybe we'll have something to laugh about years later?<br /><br />Narita's JAL terminal was super empty around this time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-S00Tnb1I/AAAAAAAAAmw/o-ZZiY9dITI/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-S00Tnb1I/AAAAAAAAAmw/o-ZZiY9dITI/s320/IMG_3750.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507782305389178706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-S0TRkROI/AAAAAAAAAmo/2SRRAJzchVE/s1600/IMG_3749.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-S0TRkROI/AAAAAAAAAmo/2SRRAJzchVE/s320/IMG_3749.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507782296522212578" /></a><br />Last meal in Japan was ironically super American.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-S0O2-m9I/AAAAAAAAAmg/KZPa1ebAbUU/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-S0O2-m9I/AAAAAAAAAmg/KZPa1ebAbUU/s320/IMG_3745.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507782295336950738" /></a><br /><br />Was a fun trip, but it will be quite a while before I try and come back to Japan during the summer.mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-51673290750305054852010-08-12T07:04:00.004-07:002010-08-31T04:02:13.119-07:002010.08.01 Shibuya, Harajuku, Asakusa, AkihabaraThis post is still under construction but I figured I wanted to try get everything somewhat published before August was over. Sorry.<br /><br />Had plans to meet Shoko at Asakusa @ 3pm. Woke up kind of early for a change so I decided to go to Shibuya and Harajuku since I hadn't been there yet this time. Big mistake because it was a Sunday.<br /><br />Obligatory 109 shots.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzR11T1tNI/AAAAAAAAAt4/sejv4GZZyyk/s1600/IMG_3650.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzR11T1tNI/AAAAAAAAAt4/sejv4GZZyyk/s320/IMG_3650.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511510766768207058" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzR0zYbTAI/AAAAAAAAAto/LbfNBkjho3k/s1600/IMG_3647.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzR0zYbTAI/AAAAAAAAAto/LbfNBkjho3k/s320/IMG_3647.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511510749070707714" /></a><br /><br />Obligatory Hachiko Statue shot.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzV832WdiI/AAAAAAAAAuA/FbG1lxGcnrA/s1600/IMG_3649.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzV832WdiI/AAAAAAAAAuA/FbG1lxGcnrA/s320/IMG_3649.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511515285755426338" /></a><br /><br />Went to Arktz (skate/bike shop) and had them dig up a copy of Underground Broadcasting for me. Also bought a fitted hat I could have probably bought in Hawaii for less, but at the time I felt like I needed it.<br /><br />Walked over to Harajuku.<br /><br />Crazy looking Audi building.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWm1uHiqI/AAAAAAAAAuY/nAuhlhtO9qQ/s1600/IMG_3652.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWm1uHiqI/AAAAAAAAAuY/nAuhlhtO9qQ/s320/IMG_3652.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511516006738528930" /></a><br />Teddy's Bigger Burger!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWmsSS8UI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/tX-RRN_QDSs/s1600/IMG_3653.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWmsSS8UI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/tX-RRN_QDSs/s320/IMG_3653.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511516004205916482" /></a><br />Condomania!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWmGZotcI/AAAAAAAAAuI/YR-QhFQWEfg/s1600/IMG_3655.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWmGZotcI/AAAAAAAAAuI/YR-QhFQWEfg/s320/IMG_3655.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511515994036155842" /></a><br />Obligatory Takeshita Dori shot.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWnGCFM2I/AAAAAAAAAug/eE9t4sM6tQ0/s1600/IMG_3656.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzWnGCFM2I/AAAAAAAAAug/eE9t4sM6tQ0/s320/IMG_3656.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511516011117228898" /></a><br />Some (possibly African) guy tried to get me to check out his streetwear store while I was walking through Takeshita Dori. Even if I was that "urban" no way I could try anything on in this heat covered in sweat.<br /><br />There were no cosplayers at the bridge by Yoyogi Park, except for this guy. I was disappoint, again.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX1Wy7_4I/AAAAAAAAAuo/axgtfvnqfAQ/s1600/IMG_3657.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX1Wy7_4I/AAAAAAAAAuo/axgtfvnqfAQ/s320/IMG_3657.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511517355646910338" /></a><br /><br />I still haven't gone to this shrine. Maybe next time when I'm not melting.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX13FVP0I/AAAAAAAAAuw/N2GVDKrznYo/s1600/IMG_3658.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX13FVP0I/AAAAAAAAAuw/N2GVDKrznYo/s320/IMG_3658.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511517364313997122" /></a><br /><br />At least the rockabilly people were there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX2-8fi_I/AAAAAAAAAvA/5LPN9YhG53E/s1600/IMG_3663.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX2-8fi_I/AAAAAAAAAvA/5LPN9YhG53E/s320/IMG_3663.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511517383604276210" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX2aD2HvI/AAAAAAAAAu4/boDoNipt1bU/s1600/IMG_3660.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzX2aD2HvI/AAAAAAAAAu4/boDoNipt1bU/s320/IMG_3660.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511517373703003890" /></a><br /><br />And the "And 1" guys.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZHWERmiI/AAAAAAAAAvI/TuowI9JKztM/s1600/IMG_3664.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZHWERmiI/AAAAAAAAAvI/TuowI9JKztM/s320/IMG_3664.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511518764200466978" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZHqEWZFI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/0mPX1AfbCz0/s1600/IMG_3667.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZHqEWZFI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/0mPX1AfbCz0/s320/IMG_3667.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511518769569490002" /></a><br />Maybe these were cosplayers?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZIJ_WiSI/AAAAAAAAAvY/F_Tw7I4w_ik/s1600/IMG_3668.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZIJ_WiSI/AAAAAAAAAvY/F_Tw7I4w_ik/s320/IMG_3668.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511518778138462498" /></a><br />Crossed over the bridge near NHK & checked out the swap meet.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZIi28QrI/AAAAAAAAAvg/MxeKq6Y9s44/s1600/IMG_3670.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZIi28QrI/AAAAAAAAAvg/MxeKq6Y9s44/s320/IMG_3670.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511518784814072498" /></a><br />Cool Disney Store!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZI3fqMBI/AAAAAAAAAvo/bRNsT7IJ_aA/s1600/IMG_3673.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzZI3fqMBI/AAAAAAAAAvo/bRNsT7IJ_aA/s320/IMG_3673.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511518790353563666" /></a><br />Made the mistake of catching the Yamanote-sen back from Shibuya to Ueno before transferring to the subway so I could get to Asakusa and so I was late. Sorry.<br /><br />Drive faster!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzaAn62q_I/AAAAAAAAAvw/-GKpH4cnyTI/s1600/IMG_3674.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzaAn62q_I/AAAAAAAAAvw/-GKpH4cnyTI/s320/IMG_3674.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511519748245335026" /></a><br />Tokyo Sky Tree: only half done. Better come back when it's done. The view from the top will probably be amazing (or sickening) if Tokyo Tower was any indication of things to come.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzaBIj9PAI/AAAAAAAAAv4/EJ4kX8vlbkg/s1600/IMG_3675.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzaBIj9PAI/AAAAAAAAAv4/EJ4kX8vlbkg/s320/IMG_3675.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511519757007666178" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, off to Asakusa! Too many people (especially tourists!)! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbCA3cWDI/AAAAAAAAAwY/pihbk3gzBK8/s1600/IMG_3680.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbCA3cWDI/AAAAAAAAAwY/pihbk3gzBK8/s320/IMG_3680.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511520871633410098" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbA-KbhLI/AAAAAAAAAwA/QIyp63gkJh4/s1600/IMG_3676.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbA-KbhLI/AAAAAAAAAwA/QIyp63gkJh4/s320/IMG_3676.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511520853727872178" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbBMOmmYI/AAAAAAAAAwI/TlRenfmcAwk/s1600/IMG_3678.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbBMOmmYI/AAAAAAAAAwI/TlRenfmcAwk/s320/IMG_3678.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511520857503472002" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbBj_TVAI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/2Di1gNqA-Lg/s1600/IMG_3679.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzbBj_TVAI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/2Di1gNqA-Lg/s320/IMG_3679.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511520863881745410" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcBvi6vQI/AAAAAAAAAwg/2sjpGwvVi24/s1600/IMG_3683.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcBvi6vQI/AAAAAAAAAwg/2sjpGwvVi24/s320/IMG_3683.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511521966495546626" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcCHpY9cI/AAAAAAAAAwo/hlSJF5fj5ps/s1600/IMG_3684.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcCHpY9cI/AAAAAAAAAwo/hlSJF5fj5ps/s320/IMG_3684.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511521972965144002" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcCYFGTDI/AAAAAAAAAww/7qVUcjj5D1w/s1600/IMG_3686.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcCYFGTDI/AAAAAAAAAww/7qVUcjj5D1w/s320/IMG_3686.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511521977376328754" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcC2le6UI/AAAAAAAAAw4/wi522HvK6-g/s1600/IMG_3688.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzcC2le6UI/AAAAAAAAAw4/wi522HvK6-g/s320/IMG_3688.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511521985565223234" /></a><br /><br />After Asakusa, we went to Akihabara. It was super crowded and most stores had no photo policies, so I didn't end up taking too many pictures. Plus the maids were good at hiding when I tried to take pics from far away.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfQoySJ2I/AAAAAAAAAxY/1LrP6pA5SwI/s1600/IMG_3699.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfQoySJ2I/AAAAAAAAAxY/1LrP6pA5SwI/s320/IMG_3699.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511525520913868642" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfQDb0Z2I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/-rk3BLQpe1w/s1600/IMG_3698.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfQDb0Z2I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/-rk3BLQpe1w/s320/IMG_3698.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511525510887532386" /></a><br />The otaku were swarming in the Don Quixote AKB48 store but it wasn't as bad as the one in Machida.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfPjHTOHI/AAAAAAAAAxI/TEUnExWH8mY/s1600/IMG_3702.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfPjHTOHI/AAAAAAAAAxI/TEUnExWH8mY/s320/IMG_3702.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511525502211537010" /></a><br />Went to Saizeriya and had a bite to eat.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfPb1RqSI/AAAAAAAAAxA/exCnxw77XiQ/s1600/IMG_3701.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THzfPb1RqSI/AAAAAAAAAxA/exCnxw77XiQ/s320/IMG_3701.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511525500256889122" /></a><br />Was considering meeting Kurara and her friends to see the fireworks in Yokohama, but after making the bad decision to check out some of the most crowded spots in Tokyo (Shibuya, Harajuku, Asakua and Akihabara) in one day, I was dead tired (and a little bit irritated) so I retreated to the hotel for a shower and some rest.<br /><br />Around 9pm I decided to go looking for someplace to go eat near the hotel.<br /><br />Nakamachi Dori: those girls in the shiny dresses should have been a sign as to what kind of establishments I would find if I kept walking.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEPbw26m6I/AAAAAAAAAsY/r5CMy4g9qJY/s1600/IMG_3706.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEPbw26m6I/AAAAAAAAAsY/r5CMy4g9qJY/s320/IMG_3706.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508200788896947106" /></a><br />As I kept walking, some guy came up and started talking to me but I don't think he was trying to be helpful. Seemed all the intersections had a bunch of guys standing around so I turned the corner and went back to the main street as calmly and as quickly as I could.<br /><br />Went into a store near the station that I saw a few days earlier and got a curry rice soba set for 500 yen. So good!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEQyD4Ty8I/AAAAAAAAAsg/MuY88BLr0Wo/s1600/IMG_3707.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEQyD4Ty8I/AAAAAAAAAsg/MuY88BLr0Wo/s320/IMG_3707.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508202271471815618" /></a>mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-88717095575762682092010-08-12T07:04:00.003-07:002010-09-01T01:30:20.386-07:002010.07.31 Odaiba, GiropponWoke up and ate the melon pan I bought the night before in Tsukishima and it was good even after a night in the fridge.<br /><br />Maybe the best melon pan I ever had!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeJIoikkFI/AAAAAAAAAtI/e36cugjMMm0/s1600/IMG_3488.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeJIoikkFI/AAAAAAAAAtI/e36cugjMMm0/s320/IMG_3488.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510023450525470802" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeHyJlLS9I/AAAAAAAAAs4/IUO71zfQFhM/s1600/IMG_3486.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeHyJlLS9I/AAAAAAAAAs4/IUO71zfQFhM/s320/IMG_3486.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510021964746148818" /></a><br /><br />Since I didn't get to go to Odaiba the last time I came, it was one of the few things that stuck out in my mind as far as places to go. Masa was the only person who confirmed that he had time that day. I was a little concerned because he's a quirky guy, but he did a good job of showing me around and making sure I didn't get lost. Sorry for doubting you Masa!<br /><br />Got off the subway at Tokyo Teleport station and saw Masa right away. Since there was some kind of summer festival going on at Fuji TV, that would end up taking the bulk of our time. Even before we left the station, Fuji TV's influence could be felt. Along the escalator leading up to street level was an ad for their idol variety show Idoling!!!, complete with headshots of all twenty (!) members of the group. In retrospect, I should have probably took video of that or something for the sake of the otaku who couldn't go there. Oddly enough, there didn't be too many displays, posters or merchandise for them inside the Fuji TV complex.<br /><br />Fuji TV!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH37Ed8I0PI/AAAAAAAAAxg/SQJuHxIfLZg/s1600/IMG_3570.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH37Ed8I0PI/AAAAAAAAAxg/SQJuHxIfLZg/s320/IMG_3570.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511837573146267890" /></a><br /><br />Sazae-san: the most famous Japanese anime you probably never heard of.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38X_V3hHI/AAAAAAAAAxo/kjniNG8uW5E/s1600/IMG_3489.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38X_V3hHI/AAAAAAAAAxo/kjniNG8uW5E/s320/IMG_3489.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511839008041698418" /></a><br />Booth for Waratte Iitomo, the longest running talk show you probably never heard of.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38YaD0HII/AAAAAAAAAxw/-wmUXTh-88s/s1600/IMG_3490.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38YaD0HII/AAAAAAAAAxw/-wmUXTh-88s/s320/IMG_3490.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511839015213735042" /></a><br />Some stage where various performances and such were going on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38Yx9lnXI/AAAAAAAAAx4/CfRQu4KsCgE/s1600/IMG_3491.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38Yx9lnXI/AAAAAAAAAx4/CfRQu4KsCgE/s320/IMG_3491.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511839021630070130" /></a><br />Going up the wavy escalators to the main entrance on the 7th (?) floor.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38ZPW2utI/AAAAAAAAAyA/vkbVdTh_Zig/s1600/IMG_3492.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38ZPW2utI/AAAAAAAAAyA/vkbVdTh_Zig/s320/IMG_3492.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511839029520677586" /></a><br />Ant's eye view of the Fuji Sphere.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38ZiIlryI/AAAAAAAAAyI/lPrILPRTlHQ/s1600/IMG_3493.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH38ZiIlryI/AAAAAAAAAyI/lPrILPRTlHQ/s320/IMG_3493.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511839034561113890" /></a><br /><br />Got up to the Sphere and the view was pretty amazing!<br />Rainbow Bridge!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_N375z8I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/6W5uV3HOFKc/s1600/IMG_3494.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_N375z8I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/6W5uV3HOFKc/s320/IMG_3494.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511842132789940162" /></a><br />There was a beach but looks like someone in a speedboat was ruining for everyone.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_OEleyNI/AAAAAAAAAyY/EHAzM72I6Ts/s1600/IMG_3497.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_OEleyNI/AAAAAAAAAyY/EHAzM72I6Ts/s320/IMG_3497.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511842136185555154" /></a><br /><br />Me and Masa took pictures on a replica of the Sazae-san set. Yay for free photos!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_OikJH7I/AAAAAAAAAyg/xqUCIFZYcnA/s1600/IMG_3502.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_OikJH7I/AAAAAAAAAyg/xqUCIFZYcnA/s320/IMG_3502.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511842144233004978" /></a><br />Apparently, a sequel to the live action adaptation of Sazae-san was going to be airing soon.<br /><br />Next was Chicken Ramen Hiyoko Cafe where they were selling some, apparently super popular instant ramen for 300yen. They must have been super busy since they forgot to give me my ticket. No ticket, no ramen, no life!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_O_Qt68I/AAAAAAAAAyo/Qjq8bT55CVc/s1600/IMG_3503.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_O_Qt68I/AAAAAAAAAyo/Qjq8bT55CVc/s320/IMG_3503.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511842151936158658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_Psp-LQI/AAAAAAAAAyw/cmZEDMw6BBI/s1600/IMG_3504.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH3_Psp-LQI/AAAAAAAAAyw/cmZEDMw6BBI/s320/IMG_3504.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511842164121677058" /></a><br />They even lend you a timer for your ramen.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4AgTI19mI/AAAAAAAAAy4/IBLGGT-kHT0/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4AgTI19mI/AAAAAAAAAy4/IBLGGT-kHT0/s320/IMG_3505.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511843548841244258" /></a><br />Ready! Hmm, doesn't look that special...but not bad considering this was Odaiba and a tourist destination.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Agv2XWBI/AAAAAAAAAzA/0hJz5OgbRJA/s1600/IMG_3506.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Agv2XWBI/AAAAAAAAAzA/0hJz5OgbRJA/s320/IMG_3506.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511843556548368402" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4AhD17zkI/AAAAAAAAAzI/bSOCPh06yYA/s1600/IMG_3507.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4AhD17zkI/AAAAAAAAAzI/bSOCPh06yYA/s320/IMG_3507.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511843561915272770" /></a><br /><br />There was a whole floor dedicated to Odoru Daisasousen (Bayside Shakedown). Never seen the show or the movies, but interest has increased a little. Pictures to come later.<br /><br />Not sure what these girls were dressed up as but does it really matter?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeZO4m7P4I/AAAAAAAAAtY/EMjZeYM3WQ8/s1600/IMG_3537.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 306px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeZO4m7P4I/AAAAAAAAAtY/EMjZeYM3WQ8/s320/IMG_3537.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510041150103961474" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeZOIuSouI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/S80Btmg8sH4/s1600/IMG_3538.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeZOIuSouI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/S80Btmg8sH4/s320/IMG_3538.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510041137249952482" /></a><br /><br />Chibi Maruko-Chan, another mega popular, long-running anime you probably never heard of.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Ahvh8IUI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/ayV0gxSuvX4/s1600/IMG_3541.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Ahvh8IUI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/ayV0gxSuvX4/s320/IMG_3541.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511843573642568002" /></a><br /><br />Took the elevator down to the ground floor since the other one was crowded then walked back up to check out the gift shop and other stuff.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CTzBF2bI/AAAAAAAAAzg/S1xkwNQt5Hk/s1600/IMG_3548.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CTzBF2bI/AAAAAAAAAzg/S1xkwNQt5Hk/s320/IMG_3548.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511845533083621810" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CTXaCBKI/AAAAAAAAAzY/F5rmFIyHkLM/s1600/IMG_3547.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CTXaCBKI/AAAAAAAAAzY/F5rmFIyHkLM/s320/IMG_3547.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511845525672035490" /></a><br /><br />In case you haven't heard, Sazae-san is kinda popular.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CUQW2QCI/AAAAAAAAAzo/cot3xJIf4EU/s1600/IMG_3549.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CUQW2QCI/AAAAAAAAAzo/cot3xJIf4EU/s320/IMG_3549.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511845540959502370" /></a><br />Big crowd gathering for what might have been a boyband.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CU1VhdiI/AAAAAAAAAzw/eh0Fw_S8Y_8/s1600/IMG_3556.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CU1VhdiI/AAAAAAAAAzw/eh0Fw_S8Y_8/s320/IMG_3556.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511845550886057506" /></a><br /><br />Masa's favorite show?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeahJz4Y0I/AAAAAAAAAtg/isy4JrAW0yI/s1600/IMG_3561.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THeahJz4Y0I/AAAAAAAAAtg/isy4JrAW0yI/s320/IMG_3561.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510042563470975810" /></a><br /><br />Guess the economy is bad when they leave big gaps in the middle of a building.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CVfkMGWI/AAAAAAAAAz4/eTqbGtrLspc/s1600/IMG_3563.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4CVfkMGWI/AAAAAAAAAz4/eTqbGtrLspc/s320/IMG_3563.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511845562221861218" /></a><br />Oh look, more stuff to see over yonder!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EY00bsrI/AAAAAAAAA0A/Mv1hDL_t9W0/s1600/IMG_3564.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EY00bsrI/AAAAAAAAA0A/Mv1hDL_t9W0/s320/IMG_3564.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511847818490000050" /></a><br />One Piece!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EZfT6MoI/AAAAAAAAA0I/BKSdRtmtc5w/s1600/IMG_3572.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EZfT6MoI/AAAAAAAAA0I/BKSdRtmtc5w/s320/IMG_3572.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511847829896311426" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EZqkWuEI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/lXghAFiB39o/s1600/IMG_3575.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EZqkWuEI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/lXghAFiB39o/s320/IMG_3575.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511847832918079554" /></a><br /><br />Got Masa to use his phone for something so I could get the stickers! Thanks Masa!<br /><br />Me and Luffy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EaCrXxZI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/vwv8Qam6oVU/s1600/IMG_3578.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EaCrXxZI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/vwv8Qam6oVU/s320/IMG_3578.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511847839389959570" /></a><br /><br />Bon Clay!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EamgVwHI/AAAAAAAAA0g/n3plZPOTn_0/s1600/IMG_3583.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4EamgVwHI/AAAAAAAAA0g/n3plZPOTn_0/s320/IMG_3583.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511847849007366258" /></a><br /><br />The poison guy...um...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GhxbYJXI/AAAAAAAAA0o/TJ1gsdtReVQ/s1600/IMG_3586.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GhxbYJXI/AAAAAAAAA0o/TJ1gsdtReVQ/s320/IMG_3586.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511850171221681522" /></a><br />Jinbei! (and bad lighting)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GiVAYEWI/AAAAAAAAA0w/hX8oAsxoaOM/s1600/IMG_3591.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GiVAYEWI/AAAAAAAAA0w/hX8oAsxoaOM/s320/IMG_3591.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511850180772106594" /></a><br />Shirohige (Whitebeard)!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GixBuBxI/AAAAAAAAA04/dShlq9ide-Y/s1600/IMG_3592.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GixBuBxI/AAAAAAAAA04/dShlq9ide-Y/s320/IMG_3592.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511850188293932818" /></a><br />Ace! Nooooooooo!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GjPis0EI/AAAAAAAAA1A/042hDDuL9iA/s1600/IMG_3595.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GjPis0EI/AAAAAAAAA1A/042hDDuL9iA/s320/IMG_3595.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511850196485328962" /></a><br />Mechaike Outlet Park based on the comedy show Mecha Mecha Iketeru!<br /><br />Yes that is what you think it is. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GjpXCRaI/AAAAAAAAA1I/JPwoxy0rp8c/s1600/IMG_3597.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4GjpXCRaI/AAAAAAAAA1I/JPwoxy0rp8c/s320/IMG_3597.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511850203415725474" /></a><br />Soba-ghetti<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H88aMUxI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/XeeqIPkYHoo/s1600/IMG_3598.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H88aMUxI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/XeeqIPkYHoo/s320/IMG_3598.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511851737537598226" /></a><br />Various costumes worn by Okamura (Ninety-Nine).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H8Jrm_vI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/vmuMoKOABqA/s1600/IMG_3599.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H8Jrm_vI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/vmuMoKOABqA/s320/IMG_3599.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511851723920441074" /></a><br /><br />Didn't want to wait to take a picture with ???-san so I poached one. Sorry.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H9A36vdI/AAAAAAAAA1g/iu4ImcNWGM8/s1600/IMG_3608.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H9A36vdI/AAAAAAAAA1g/iu4ImcNWGM8/s320/IMG_3608.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511851738736016850" /></a><br />Sachiko no Heya!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H9uAyK-I/AAAAAAAAA1o/1ovk95-0PZU/s1600/IMG_3610.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H9uAyK-I/AAAAAAAAA1o/1ovk95-0PZU/s320/IMG_3610.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511851750852799458" /></a><br />Wanted to try the Rubik's Cube looking ice cake but not for 750yen!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H-CxBn7I/AAAAAAAAA1w/0CV6MCXv810/s1600/IMG_3620.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4H-CxBn7I/AAAAAAAAA1w/0CV6MCXv810/s320/IMG_3620.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511851756423847858" /></a><br />Giant sculptures implore you to consume mass quantities and part with your money.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J50ypwpI/AAAAAAAAA14/JQowjzOdHLY/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J50ypwpI/AAAAAAAAA14/JQowjzOdHLY/s320/IMG_3622.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511853882976354962" /></a><br />Mommy Talk English Village Hawaiian Cafe? <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J6CowQ5I/AAAAAAAAA2A/XUNWbhyVEl0/s1600/IMG_3623.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J6CowQ5I/AAAAAAAAA2A/XUNWbhyVEl0/s320/IMG_3623.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511853886692934546" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J6oClhDI/AAAAAAAAA2I/MZgC3kZlgKE/s1600/IMG_3624.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J6oClhDI/AAAAAAAAA2I/MZgC3kZlgKE/s320/IMG_3624.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511853896733393970" /></a><br />Almost wanted to try out of curiosity and because the girls were trying so hard to get customers, but if I tried to reward everyone's effort, I'd be a much bigger and/or poorer person, I think.<br /><br />OK, mini Statue of Liberty.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J6xg_pZI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/AteXNeB9w54/s1600/IMG_3631.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J6xg_pZI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/AteXNeB9w54/s320/IMG_3631.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511853899276854674" /></a><br />Kua Aina Burger.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J7Y5c6uI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/jOKLytmIH-U/s1600/IMG_3633.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4J7Y5c6uI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/jOKLytmIH-U/s320/IMG_3633.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511853909848419042" /></a><br />Went to Daiba Station and caught the Yurikamome unmanned train across the Rainbow Bridge. Foolish me took no pics of this, but it was ridiculously crowded.<br /><br />Transferred somewhere (?) and got to Roppongi to meet Shoko. We went to some quasi-Cuban bar. They served Mexican food too. How random to come to Tokyo and eat Cuban/Mexican food!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M1Cp7KBI/AAAAAAAAA2o/JJihg2nLSWk/s1600/IMG_3637.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M1Cp7KBI/AAAAAAAAA2o/JJihg2nLSWk/s320/IMG_3637.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511857099333380114" /></a><br /><br />Fried cheese, or something, I forget.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M1lkGwsI/AAAAAAAAA2w/AlBTfZ-Z7mc/s1600/IMG_3638.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M1lkGwsI/AAAAAAAAA2w/AlBTfZ-Z7mc/s320/IMG_3638.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511857108704215746" /></a><br /><br />Cuban Burritos<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M14yHe8I/AAAAAAAAA24/gRH99Ocwmw8/s1600/IMG_3639.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M14yHe8I/AAAAAAAAA24/gRH99Ocwmw8/s320/IMG_3639.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511857113863257026" /></a><br /><br />Cuban Jamaican Jerk Chicken<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M2bgBaNI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Lk4VwZRNBlA/s1600/IMG_3641.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M2bgBaNI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Lk4VwZRNBlA/s320/IMG_3641.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511857123182602450" /></a><br /><br />Shoko thought the non-Japanese waitress was cute so she got me to take a picture with her.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4OXa06jnI/AAAAAAAAA3I/daR7WlJwl8o/s1600/DSCN1143-2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4OXa06jnI/AAAAAAAAA3I/daR7WlJwl8o/s320/DSCN1143-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511858789449109106" /></a><br />I'm sweating because of the hot candles behind me.<br /><br />Kazu! Ikemen sensei. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M0iu1XBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/GQycNQSrVaA/s1600/IMG_3645.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4M0iu1XBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/GQycNQSrVaA/s320/IMG_3645.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511857090764037138" /></a><br />Out of nowhere Kazu called. He was on some kind of camp for his school and just checked his messages after returning home earlier that day.. We went to some izakaya, had some drinks and talked. It was really fun despite me only meeting him once when he came to visit Hawaii. Japanese people are good like that. Seems like most of the people I hung out with on this trip were people I didn't hang out with too much in Hawaii, but somehow it turned out better than I expected every time.mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-35898829852069693232010-08-12T07:04:00.001-07:002010-08-19T03:42:09.523-07:002010.07.30 Akasaka Hawaiian Food, Tsukishima MonjayakiOnly definite plans of the day were to meet Agasa at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukishima">Tsukishima</a> Station at 9pm after she got off work to go eat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monjayaki">monjayaki</a>. <br /><br />Since me and Junko finally found the Hawaiian place yesterday, and because she discovered she'd have to work on Monday after all, I decided to go down there by myself.<br /><br />I don't remember seeing these giant yellow birds yesterday!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz0uOtsL9I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/fFvlF62HAsY/s1600/IMG_3443.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz0uOtsL9I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/fFvlF62HAsY/s320/IMG_3443.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507045519428169682" /></a><br /><br />Ordered up a spicy ahi poke x kalua pig plate w/ a Longboard Lager. I guess they had to add the avocados to the poke for Japanese tastes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz0OhMSOvI/AAAAAAAAAfI/Z2bWzmJZod8/s1600/IMG_3445.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz0OhMSOvI/AAAAAAAAAfI/Z2bWzmJZod8/s320/IMG_3445.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507044974632516338" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz0OFD6vTI/AAAAAAAAAfA/pxIcG1YzsvQ/s1600/IMG_3448.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz0OFD6vTI/AAAAAAAAAfA/pxIcG1YzsvQ/s320/IMG_3448.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507044967081229618" /></a><br />Didn't get a receipt, but I think the total was about 1,960円. Kind of expensive, but considering they probably have to import and/or make most of the food, I'll compare it to the prices of 'authentic Japanese food' in Hawaii.<br /><br />Feeling a bit of a 'kanak attack' coming on I retreated back to the hotel to take a shower and a nap. <br /><br />Around 6pm, I woke up and decided I needed something small to eat since I'd be eating again 3 hours later, but after walking a few blocks in several different directions, I just got a conbeni salmon nigiri. Kind of nice that, even though the hotel is so close to Ueno Station, it's kind of quiet compared to other parts of Tokyo. But I guess the downside is that there aren't a lot of restaurants nearby.<br /><br />Around 7:45pm I caught the Tokyo-Metro Ginza line from Inaricho to Ueno-Hirokoji then walked over to the Ueno-Okachimachi station/platform where I transfered to the Toei Subway-Oedo Line until I got to Tsukishima. I could have left at 8:30 and made it right before 9pm but I had nothing else to do and wanted to try and be early (which I was).<br /><br />Tsukishima is famous for monjayaki and so there was a long street lined with only monjayaki shops (which I forgot to take a picture of). I asked Agasa if there was any shop in particular that stood out, but the answer that came back was "they're all pretty much the same" so we ended up at this one since she had a coupon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz4Xk4BNbI/AAAAAAAAAfY/UBvm-iGoYQM/s1600/IMG_3474.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz4Xk4BNbI/AAAAAAAAAfY/UBvm-iGoYQM/s320/IMG_3474.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507049528286590386" /></a><br />This was actually the second store since the other location was so crowded that the employee walked us (and a few other people) to this one a few stores down the road.<br /><br />Ordered two types of monjayaki: mentaiko and pizza (sounded interesting). Plus, I think we got some free stuff with the coupon?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz52DX_CjI/AAAAAAAAAfg/qyKNFLXP5RM/s1600/IMG_3452.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz52DX_CjI/AAAAAAAAAfg/qyKNFLXP5RM/s320/IMG_3452.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507051151381432882" /></a><br /><br />Monjayaki is one of those foods that the customer 'cooks themself' like yakiniku or (sometimes) okonomiyaki (even though I rarely if ever do). This is pretty much a given since monjayaki is eaten right off the teppan with tiny spatulas.<br /><br />Given my embarrassing lack of cooking skills and this being my first time with monjayaki, I deferred to Agasa because "I want to make sure it tasted good".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9koL40zI/AAAAAAAAAfo/Bwk4b5uRIw0/s1600/IMG_3451.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9koL40zI/AAAAAAAAAfo/Bwk4b5uRIw0/s320/IMG_3451.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507055250071671602" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9lmxHlkI/AAAAAAAAAfw/j7zJWJn4L94/s1600/IMG_3453.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9lmxHlkI/AAAAAAAAAfw/j7zJWJn4L94/s320/IMG_3453.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507055266870826562" /></a><br /><br />Apparently, the way to do things is to mix up the ingredients in the bowl on the teppan and then to make a sort of bowl with them into which to pour the batter. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9lxP-ecI/AAAAAAAAAf4/iluZzmebKNo/s1600/IMG_3457.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9lxP-ecI/AAAAAAAAAf4/iluZzmebKNo/s320/IMG_3457.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507055269684607426" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9mKzQNlI/AAAAAAAAAgA/u0hZ-Jve6pU/s1600/IMG_3459.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz9mKzQNlI/AAAAAAAAAgA/u0hZ-Jve6pU/s320/IMG_3459.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507055276543456850" /></a><br />Mentaiko was really good! This is what it looks like when done.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz_Ck1pFUI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/GvWyRfjzNYA/s1600/IMG_3461.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz_Ck1pFUI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/GvWyRfjzNYA/s320/IMG_3461.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507056864080762178" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz_CUfVvYI/AAAAAAAAAgI/R6IRBS_ifMU/s1600/IMG_3462.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGz_CUfVvYI/AAAAAAAAAgI/R6IRBS_ifMU/s320/IMG_3462.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507056859692252546" /></a><br /><br />Was getting a little full, but since we ordered the pizza one as well...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Brn0ygeI/AAAAAAAAAgg/xUZ-6woch6A/s1600/IMG_3463.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Brn0ygeI/AAAAAAAAAgg/xUZ-6woch6A/s320/IMG_3463.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507059768280383970" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0BrTj5bxI/AAAAAAAAAgY/Ji5dG7S3wb0/s1600/IMG_3466.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0BrTj5bxI/AAAAAAAAAgY/Ji5dG7S3wb0/s320/IMG_3466.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507059762840825618" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Dn6EyFRI/AAAAAAAAAhI/D2nWtrxN9x0/s1600/IMG_3467.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Dn6EyFRI/AAAAAAAAAhI/D2nWtrxN9x0/s320/IMG_3467.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507061903483082002" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DnpLAzwI/AAAAAAAAAhA/Yz-SGFPKllM/s1600/IMG_3469.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DnpLAzwI/AAAAAAAAAhA/Yz-SGFPKllM/s320/IMG_3469.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507061898945810178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DnR8fdpI/AAAAAAAAAg4/oLwrjyBocls/s1600/IMG_3471.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DnR8fdpI/AAAAAAAAAg4/oLwrjyBocls/s320/IMG_3471.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507061892710889106" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DnONOTXI/AAAAAAAAAgw/GXz-zXUb88o/s1600/IMG_3472.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DnONOTXI/AAAAAAAAAgw/GXz-zXUb88o/s320/IMG_3472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507061891707325810" /></a><br /><br />Pizza might be good for kids?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DmudPuLI/AAAAAAAAAgo/kDzb5tera10/s1600/IMG_3473.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0DmudPuLI/AAAAAAAAAgo/kDzb5tera10/s320/IMG_3473.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507061883184593074" /></a><br /><br />Was still kind of early so we went to someplace in Ueno. Apparently, one of the places next door caught on fire earlier in the day. I neglected to take a picture of the scene though. Can't see it in the picture but there was like a rock garden behind Agasa. Such a stylish place (that I can't remember the name of)!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0IF6PU7DI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/dOvsZAxhK4c/s1600/IMG_3477.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0IF6PU7DI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/dOvsZAxhK4c/s320/IMG_3477.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507066816969894962" /></a><br /><br />Our special order of "mystery sashimi". Never heard of any of these fish before, but they were good.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0IGF2-OMI/AAAAAAAAAhY/nvGTwla9z0o/s1600/IMG_3478.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0IGF2-OMI/AAAAAAAAAhY/nvGTwla9z0o/s320/IMG_3478.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507066820088969410" /></a><br />(clockwise from bottom left) Tsuzurame (つづらめ), Madai(真鯛), Warasa(わらさ), Mahata(真羽太), Maguro(?)mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-13902926094542357432010-08-12T07:03:00.000-07:002010-09-01T02:11:47.387-07:002010.07.29 Akasaka, Meijijingu-mae, TakadanobabaSomething about the pillow at the hotel didn't agree with me and I woke up with a super stiff neck!<br /><br />Was feeling a little homesick or nostalgic for Hawaii since I had been gone over two weeks at this point so I started looking for a place where I could eat Hawaiian food. I remember seeing a place in Odaiba, but 800 yen for spam musubi had me having second thoughts. Found a place called Ogo Ono Loa located in Akasaka, but due to my negligence in writing down the directions more carefully and a rather violent rainstorm, I ended up walking around for about an hour with no results.<br /><br />However, there was a group playing ukuleles and dressed in aloha wear performing a lunch time concert, so that was nice.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-XlIeEpfI/AAAAAAAAAm4/gl0WiPcBSEY/s1600/IMG_3361.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-XlIeEpfI/AAAAAAAAAm4/gl0WiPcBSEY/s320/IMG_3361.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507787533481977330" /></a><br />But it started pouring like 5 minutes later.<br /><br />Rode the subway back to Inari-cho defeated and still hungry. Settled for McDonald's. The Chicken Aurora Burger wasn't as good as I had hoped.<br /><br />Took a shower, changed and rested up since I had to go meet Junko, who's like the older sister I never had, at Ikebukuro Station in a few hours.<br /><br />The plan was to go eat monjayaki at Tsukishima, but I made the mistake of telling her that I had plans to go do that the next night as well, so plans got changed. Stupid me. Instead, we went back to Akasaka to find the restaurant (and maybe have some Hawaiian food). <br /><br />The stairs light up @ Akasaka Sacas!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-YGOlrayI/AAAAAAAAAnI/6XPQCIKZHgc/s1600/IMG_3363.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-YGOlrayI/AAAAAAAAAnI/6XPQCIKZHgc/s320/IMG_3363.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507788102060174114" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-YFtxPOwI/AAAAAAAAAnA/SJ9rK5cHdWE/s1600/IMG_3364.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-YFtxPOwI/AAAAAAAAAnA/SJ9rK5cHdWE/s320/IMG_3364.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507788093250288386" /></a><br /><br />Apparently, TBS has their headquarters in Akasaka, so there was a big crowd of girls taking picture of Arashi's costumes from one of their many shows they do. I didn't take any pictures of that. Sorry Arashi fans.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZKiAU22I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/yZUWUv7iUgU/s1600/IMG_3368.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZKiAU22I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/yZUWUv7iUgU/s320/IMG_3368.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507789275503319906" /></a><br /><br />There was an Ultraman statue outside.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZL7WIXVI/AAAAAAAAAng/Oz6LygXi4O4/s1600/IMG_3371.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZL7WIXVI/AAAAAAAAAng/Oz6LygXi4O4/s320/IMG_3371.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507789299485531474" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZLMhcwVI/AAAAAAAAAnY/oQDk76Sm7pc/s1600/IMG_3370.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZLMhcwVI/AAAAAAAAAnY/oQDk76Sm7pc/s320/IMG_3370.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507789286916538706" /></a><br /><br />Walked down the street further...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZMMzeyzI/AAAAAAAAAno/vXdT9KWp3No/s1600/IMG_3373.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZMMzeyzI/AAAAAAAAAno/vXdT9KWp3No/s320/IMG_3373.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507789304172038962" /></a><br />THERE IT IS!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZMoVtEQI/AAAAAAAAAnw/WjgQ6VJRslk/s1600/IMG_3375.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-ZMoVtEQI/AAAAAAAAAnw/WjgQ6VJRslk/s320/IMG_3375.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507789311563337986" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-aKWbKtuI/AAAAAAAAAn4/_mEMhAYs0J8/s1600/IMG_3376.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-aKWbKtuI/AAAAAAAAAn4/_mEMhAYs0J8/s320/IMG_3376.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507790371906303714" /></a><br />But they were closed until 6pm when they'd open for dinner so we still lost.<br /><br />Defeated we went off to the Beer Garden which was located near the Yakult Swallows baseball stadium and in the neighborhood that the Imperial Palace is located in (Meiji-jingumae). Apparently, some important historical documents were signed in this building.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-aKh8YyFI/AAAAAAAAAoA/atpVNd1Ogrc/s1600/IMG_3378.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-aKh8YyFI/AAAAAAAAAoA/atpVNd1Ogrc/s320/IMG_3378.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507790374998427730" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-aLDGL4MI/AAAAAAAAAoI/TgHE_MGl-GU/s1600/IMG_3394.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG-aLDGL4MI/AAAAAAAAAoI/TgHE_MGl-GU/s320/IMG_3394.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507790383897895106" /></a><br /><br />So not only was this a classy place with history, but there was entertainment as well! Unfortunately, there was another table full of people in front of us and dancing is kind of hard to take pictures of, but I took some!<br /><br />First performance was drum/tambourine themed with lots of dramatic hopping. It was a lot better than I can describe it. Sorry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RFXviWLI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/DOL-R4fJk9I/s1600/IMG_3385.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RFXviWLI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/DOL-R4fJk9I/s320/IMG_3385.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511861777918482610" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RF8_ptQI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/iS2jswvbywM/s1600/IMG_3390.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RF8_ptQI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/iS2jswvbywM/s320/IMG_3390.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511861787918185730" /></a><br />Second performance added a female singer in an evening gown singing "When you Wish Upon a Star" in Japanese. Again, it was better than it sounds. Really!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RGq3KMMI/AAAAAAAAA3o/vSdZp4ggNfA/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RGq3KMMI/AAAAAAAAA3o/vSdZp4ggNfA/s320/IMG_3398.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511861800230596802" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RGGAJ4VI/AAAAAAAAA3g/xtE2opqCTRM/s1600/IMG_3401.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4RGGAJ4VI/AAAAAAAAA3g/xtE2opqCTRM/s320/IMG_3401.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511861790336213330" /></a><br /><br />Final number added flamenco dancers. All hope of taking any good pictures all but disappeared at this point.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Sl6k8reI/AAAAAAAAA3w/kHLDWriyjIY/s1600/IMG_3402.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Sl6k8reI/AAAAAAAAA3w/kHLDWriyjIY/s320/IMG_3402.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511863436536753634" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4SmJ5avsI/AAAAAAAAA34/a7cKaqndrfo/s1600/IMG_3407.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4SmJ5avsI/AAAAAAAAA34/a7cKaqndrfo/s320/IMG_3407.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511863440649141954" /></a><br />Night view of the outside.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Sm2uk-eI/AAAAAAAAA4I/WlOjm0SNfN4/s1600/IMG_3418.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Sm2uk-eI/AAAAAAAAA4I/WlOjm0SNfN4/s320/IMG_3418.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511863452683270626" /></a><br />Shakas!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4SmkQBkeI/AAAAAAAAA4A/qGwzzdV9hn8/s1600/IMG_3412.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4SmkQBkeI/AAAAAAAAA4A/qGwzzdV9hn8/s320/IMG_3412.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511863447723282914" /></a><br />Junko being bitten by the bird.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4SnfCB4-I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/oZsQzKG3GIw/s1600/IMG_3423.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4SnfCB4-I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/oZsQzKG3GIw/s320/IMG_3423.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511863463502275554" /></a><br /><br />It was still early so we went to a Horumon (guts) place right next to Takadanobaba Station. You can see it from the platform!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UIYTweQI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/YwjqpnLnBz8/s1600/IMG_3437.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UIYTweQI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/YwjqpnLnBz8/s320/IMG_3437.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511865128144894210" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UIrRKRDI/AAAAAAAAA4g/n1Kh5srcVDQ/s1600/IMG_3438.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UIrRKRDI/AAAAAAAAA4g/n1Kh5srcVDQ/s320/IMG_3438.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511865133234275378" /></a><br />Apparently, Waseda University is near this area.<br /><br />A peek at the menu and specials.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UKdubKNI/AAAAAAAAA44/xarFUs9SE7U/s1600/IMG_3430.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UKdubKNI/AAAAAAAAA44/xarFUs9SE7U/s320/IMG_3430.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511865163958659282" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UJsKeHVI/AAAAAAAAA4w/bzkVyQFImgw/s1600/IMG_3429.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UJsKeHVI/AAAAAAAAA4w/bzkVyQFImgw/s320/IMG_3429.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511865150654520658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UJQ_8_lI/AAAAAAAAA4o/8yKaJ4ba0NQ/s1600/IMG_3428.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4UJQ_8_lI/AAAAAAAAA4o/8yKaJ4ba0NQ/s320/IMG_3428.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511865143362649682" /></a><br /><br />Round 1: assorted raw pig guts!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Xu1k79wI/AAAAAAAAA5A/Km-r6tUmjnw/s1600/IMG_3431.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Xu1k79wI/AAAAAAAAA5A/Km-r6tUmjnw/s320/IMG_3431.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511869087371491074" /></a><br />Round 2: Tofu and tsukemono, because vegetables are important too!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XvM32LhI/AAAAAAAAA5I/4RBcCcc7omI/s1600/IMG_3433.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XvM32LhI/AAAAAAAAA5I/4RBcCcc7omI/s320/IMG_3433.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511869093624819218" /></a><br />Round 3: Grilled extra chewy bits<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XvvjgnhI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/JeLKNxfMGmU/s1600/IMG_3434.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XvvjgnhI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/JeLKNxfMGmU/s320/IMG_3434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511869102934760978" /></a><br />Result: sore jaws from having to chew so much. Tastes so good it hurts!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XvxV2VMI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/KS4UXIIxIAk/s1600/IMG_3435.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XvxV2VMI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/KS4UXIIxIAk/s320/IMG_3435.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511869103414334658" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XwmwZgoI/AAAAAAAAA5g/9EWTR72b09Y/s1600/IMG_3436.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4XwmwZgoI/AAAAAAAAA5g/9EWTR72b09Y/s320/IMG_3436.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511869117752771202" /></a>mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-2673816336116483732010-08-12T07:02:00.002-07:002010-08-22T04:40:15.230-07:002010.07.28 Ramen Museum, Machida, Shin-OkuboWoke up around 4am(?) after going to sleep around 2am because of the stupid dryer taking hours to dry my clothes and packing. Barely made it to Nagoya Station in time to catch the first Shinkansen to Tokyo. Didn't have time to get a reserved ticket so I just ran towards what I thought were the non-reserved seats, but I ran to the wrong end of the train! Made it on board with 2 minutes to spare!<br /><br />Had no clear idea how to get from Ueno Station to the hotel so I caught a cab, but due to the maze of one way streets ended up wasting 800 yen to go like 5 blocks.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEJi6F6oaI/AAAAAAAAAsA/BGtWAdlomms/s1600/IMG_3315.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEJi6F6oaI/AAAAAAAAAsA/BGtWAdlomms/s320/IMG_3315.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508194314565099938" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEJjWUFkRI/AAAAAAAAAsI/kAbirnvoS-A/s1600/IMG_3314.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEJjWUFkRI/AAAAAAAAAsI/kAbirnvoS-A/s320/IMG_3314.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508194322140729618" /></a><br /><br />Dropped off bags and caught Keihin Tohoku to Shin-Yokohama to meet Kurara. It seemed that Akina's work schedule had her starting at 1pm (instead of 4pm as previously thought) so her chances of showing up shrank to zero. I was disappoint.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin-Yokohama_Raumen_Museum">Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum!</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-mDi3TXI/AAAAAAAAAqA/plYUAmn6bqs/s1600/IMG_3316.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-mDi3TXI/AAAAAAAAAqA/plYUAmn6bqs/s320/IMG_3316.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508182274014137714" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-l8kxDmI/AAAAAAAAAp4/zoi5KNbwBg4/s1600/IMG_3326.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-l8kxDmI/AAAAAAAAAp4/zoi5KNbwBg4/s320/IMG_3326.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508182272143068770" /></a><br /><br />Puppet version of famous ramen person.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-ltYgsqI/AAAAAAAAApw/IPQkTYyl5Vg/s1600/IMG_3317.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-ltYgsqI/AAAAAAAAApw/IPQkTYyl5Vg/s320/IMG_3317.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508182268065133218" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-lQh_sqI/AAAAAAAAApo/aahzola6c-g/s1600/IMG_3319.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-lQh_sqI/AAAAAAAAApo/aahzola6c-g/s320/IMG_3319.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508182260320285346" /></a><br /><br />Kurara trying to ride the moped.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-k7UleWI/AAAAAAAAApg/rU2z2EM-wfQ/s1600/IMG_3321.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD-k7UleWI/AAAAAAAAApg/rU2z2EM-wfQ/s320/IMG_3321.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508182254626896226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD59PYi3xI/AAAAAAAAApY/k3X7E91nG5o/s1600/IMG_3322.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD59PYi3xI/AAAAAAAAApY/k3X7E91nG5o/s320/IMG_3322.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508177174770933522" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD589K3hZI/AAAAAAAAApQ/2r_v0tcv0bo/s1600/IMG_3323.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD589K3hZI/AAAAAAAAApQ/2r_v0tcv0bo/s320/IMG_3323.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508177169881728402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD58sJsZoI/AAAAAAAAApI/wVEqeVq4fa4/s1600/IMG_3328.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD58sJsZoI/AAAAAAAAApI/wVEqeVq4fa4/s320/IMG_3328.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508177165313402498" /></a><br /><br />Kurara using the phone booth.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD58LTWP6I/AAAAAAAAApA/U-QTPFrvex8/s1600/IMG_3329.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD58LTWP6I/AAAAAAAAApA/U-QTPFrvex8/s320/IMG_3329.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508177156495523746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD57q7ribI/AAAAAAAAAo4/8UImmbhrdv8/s1600/IMG_3331.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD57q7ribI/AAAAAAAAAo4/8UImmbhrdv8/s320/IMG_3331.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508177147806321074" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4CRPQXnI/AAAAAAAAAow/h9CK-cXH41M/s1600/IMG_3332.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4CRPQXnI/AAAAAAAAAow/h9CK-cXH41M/s320/IMG_3332.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508175062144933490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4Bm5Sd6I/AAAAAAAAAoo/cd-g1zwCWSQ/s1600/IMG_3333.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4Bm5Sd6I/AAAAAAAAAoo/cd-g1zwCWSQ/s320/IMG_3333.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508175050778507170" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4BayhZGI/AAAAAAAAAog/XxHbDl77QbU/s1600/IMG_3334.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4BayhZGI/AAAAAAAAAog/XxHbDl77QbU/s320/IMG_3334.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508175047528899682" /></a><br /><br />Ended up playing a jan-ken-po game. Win 5 times and get a special lollipop that looks like a bowl of ramen. Started off strong, winning 3 in a row but lost 2x in a row to what was probably the strongest, or second strongest player in the building. Trying to employ strategy and thinking may have been my downfall as well. Kurara did not fare quite as well and almost made the come from behind victory, but was ultimately defeated. I just barely ended up winning!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4AwC01vI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/9G48dmwPOqY/s1600/IMG_3336.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THD4AwC01vI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/9G48dmwPOqY/s320/IMG_3336.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508175036054558450" /></a><br />Not too sure about the flavor, but it seems to be green apple. Some possible other flavors mixed in, but green apple seems to be the main. At least it didn't taste like ramen.<br /><br />Wakayama Ramen! Would have tried more but one bowl was enough to get full and it was super hot outside too. Maybe next time, I'll try and order several smaller bowls to taste different kinds?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEAy75K29I/AAAAAAAAAqI/JoUgu-CoVuM/s1600/IMG_3337.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEAy75K29I/AAAAAAAAAqI/JoUgu-CoVuM/s320/IMG_3337.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508184694321765330" /></a><br /><br />Vintage-looking Coke Machine<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEAzN6flPI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/agAUePoWqFU/s1600/IMG_3340.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEAzN6flPI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/agAUePoWqFU/s320/IMG_3340.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508184699159155954" /></a><br /><br />After that, we went to Machida to check out the giant multi-floor Book Off. Next time I will buy way more stuff! The shelves were packed with people reading manga on the manga floor. Almost bought the entire series of Pumpkin Scissors. Maybe I should have.<br /><br />Checked out the Don Quixote and it was jam packed full of stuff. Strangely enough, the electronics floor had no air conditioning. The top floor was the AKB48 Store and there was wall to wall otaku looking over their purchased pictures. I like AKB48 too, but not THAT much.<br /><br />Escaped to another building and checked out Vanguard Village. All kinds of unusual goods to be found there. Again, I should have bought more stuff, but my thoughts kept returning to my heavy luggage.<br /><br />Went to a cafe which was known for their pudding so we HAD to go there and I was not disappointed. We both got the 'never before seen' pudding ice cream and it was really good. Not sure why no one had bothered to make such a product available on a wider scale. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEMBLeDU5I/AAAAAAAAAsQ/AkgddyJXF3s/s1600/IMG_3344.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEMBLeDU5I/AAAAAAAAAsQ/AkgddyJXF3s/s320/IMG_3344.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508197033649066898" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEAzru-PQI/AAAAAAAAAqg/8tEUesmdflQ/s1600/IMG_3345.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEAzru-PQI/AAAAAAAAAqg/8tEUesmdflQ/s320/IMG_3345.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508184707163897090" /></a><br /><br />Kurara had plans to meet her friend, Anri (who lives in Shinjuku) for dinner so we went to neighboring Shin-Okubo to eat Korean food. Apparently, Shin-Okubo's kind of like a Koreatown for Tokyo.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEA0IESFOI/AAAAAAAAAqo/o2_buYkEDNQ/s1600/IMG_3348.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEA0IESFOI/AAAAAAAAAqo/o2_buYkEDNQ/s320/IMG_3348.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508184714769470690" /></a><br /><br />Kurara takes Bi Bim Bap seriously!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDhpkGINI/AAAAAAAAAq4/rBxNblNvgv0/s1600/IMG_3347.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDhpkGINI/AAAAAAAAAq4/rBxNblNvgv0/s320/IMG_3347.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508187695878643922" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDhOEDgEI/AAAAAAAAAqw/epto313zUlM/s1600/IMG_3346.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDhOEDgEI/AAAAAAAAAqw/epto313zUlM/s320/IMG_3346.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508187688496496706" /></a><br /><br />Oshibori Origami?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDh3PwNrI/AAAAAAAAArA/ZNul_TC2L2A/s1600/IMG_3349.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDh3PwNrI/AAAAAAAAArA/ZNul_TC2L2A/s320/IMG_3349.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508187699551418034" /></a><br /><br />It's a duck that likes kim chi, or something?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDilUN2wI/AAAAAAAAArI/PJr1t8bMDic/s1600/IMG_3350.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEDilUN2wI/AAAAAAAAArI/PJr1t8bMDic/s320/IMG_3350.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508187711918168834" /></a><br /><br />After, Kurara wanted to buy Korean Nori so we hunted down a Korean Supermarket before walking over to Shinjuku. As expected, Shinjuku was crawling with hosts and hostesses (and probably other similar people) looking for customers. I would probably like to try walking around Shinjuku sometime , maybe during the day (or early morning) when it doesn't feel so sleazy (if that's possible)<br /><br />Random Shinjuku shots<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEGs8I2LTI/AAAAAAAAArQ/Upfxk4jslzE/s1600/IMG_3352.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEGs8I2LTI/AAAAAAAAArQ/Upfxk4jslzE/s320/IMG_3352.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508191188378070322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEGtGhgYPI/AAAAAAAAArY/ztPBnqxC_Ho/s1600/IMG_3353.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEGtGhgYPI/AAAAAAAAArY/ztPBnqxC_Ho/s320/IMG_3353.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508191191165853938" /></a><br /><br />I tried to take a pic of this platinum blond haired host but he moved too quickly, like a red panda or a weasel!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEGt4I5kZI/AAAAAAAAArg/8WETjeweylU/s1600/IMG_3354.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEGt4I5kZI/AAAAAAAAArg/8WETjeweylU/s320/IMG_3354.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508191204484419986" /></a><br />Some "street performer" was screaming into a microphone out in front of the station. Had it not been for the crowd (or my bleeding ears) I would have tried to take pics/video.<br /><br />Got to the hotel and while the amenities weren't up to the previous hotel, this was the biggest room so far! Plus, I got a card key, so there was no having to drop off the key when I leave and no having to pick it up when I get back.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEIQFqKTFI/AAAAAAAAArw/qkWquIbyCnA/s1600/IMG_3356.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEIQFqKTFI/AAAAAAAAArw/qkWquIbyCnA/s320/IMG_3356.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508192891740769362" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEIPwgnU0I/AAAAAAAAAro/RGRaxwuH1KE/s1600/IMG_3355.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEIPwgnU0I/AAAAAAAAAro/RGRaxwuH1KE/s320/IMG_3355.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508192886063584066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEIQv-t0YI/AAAAAAAAAr4/OPdnmC0wSCs/s1600/IMG_3357.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/THEIQv-t0YI/AAAAAAAAAr4/OPdnmC0wSCs/s320/IMG_3357.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508192903101272450" /></a><br /><br />Fun first day in the Kanto region! If only it hadn't been so hot or if only I had more than 2 hours of sleep the night before. Oh well, it was still super fun!mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-56272778361461161752010-08-12T07:02:00.001-07:002010-08-21T02:04:46.007-07:002010.07.27 Nagoya-jo, Electric Museum, MoeryMet Hiro at Nagoya Station and we took the Meijo Line to Shiyakusho to get to Nagoya-jo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Noo0ai0I/AAAAAAAAAhg/6LJIsipGwwQ/s1600/IMG_3145.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Noo0ai0I/AAAAAAAAAhg/6LJIsipGwwQ/s320/IMG_3145.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507072911147174722" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0No0lQKqI/AAAAAAAAAho/Di6yP5Y5GFk/s1600/IMG_3146.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0No0lQKqI/AAAAAAAAAho/Di6yP5Y5GFk/s320/IMG_3146.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507072914304805538" /></a><br />There's a building that has a roof just like Nagoya-jo!<br /><br />Miscellaneous mascot characters! (note the Shachihoko replaced by a fried shrimp)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0ObP5zIDI/AAAAAAAAAh4/-vN5tIgbdi4/s1600/IMG_3149.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0ObP5zIDI/AAAAAAAAAh4/-vN5tIgbdi4/s320/IMG_3149.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507073780632199218" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0OamJmIBI/AAAAAAAAAhw/XBBEEPQGMv8/s1600/IMG_3150.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0OamJmIBI/AAAAAAAAAhw/XBBEEPQGMv8/s320/IMG_3150.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507073769424166930" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0PeK2ix2I/AAAAAAAAAiI/92MXpseuPD4/s1600/IMG_3152.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0PeK2ix2I/AAAAAAAAAiI/92MXpseuPD4/s320/IMG_3152.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507074930327603042" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0PdpKQ6hI/AAAAAAAAAiA/WljEr-2WokA/s1600/IMG_3151.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0PdpKQ6hI/AAAAAAAAAiA/WljEr-2WokA/s320/IMG_3151.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507074921283512850" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QVilpYaI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/zS1szIvDcLs/s1600/IMG_3157.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QVilpYaI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/zS1szIvDcLs/s320/IMG_3157.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507075881591988642" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QV5T6eOI/AAAAAAAAAiY/fuJRcUchOYI/s1600/IMG_3159.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QV5T6eOI/AAAAAAAAAiY/fuJRcUchOYI/s320/IMG_3159.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507075887691626722" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QWDukYzI/AAAAAAAAAig/ce6LcaN2AGk/s1600/IMG_3160.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QWDukYzI/AAAAAAAAAig/ce6LcaN2AGk/s320/IMG_3160.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507075890487780146" /></a><br />Some guy who was famous for standing on a rock while other people pulled it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QWbq-b-I/AAAAAAAAAio/TGGstkI237o/s1600/IMG_3168.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QWbq-b-I/AAAAAAAAAio/TGGstkI237o/s320/IMG_3168.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507075896915161058" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QW4zXFBI/AAAAAAAAAiw/UQLZpIfjol4/s1600/IMG_3170.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0QW4zXFBI/AAAAAAAAAiw/UQLZpIfjol4/s320/IMG_3170.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507075904734958610" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0RIX0vQ2I/AAAAAAAAAi4/Jk-_H-qEUs8/s1600/IMG_3171.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0RIX0vQ2I/AAAAAAAAAi4/Jk-_H-qEUs8/s320/IMG_3171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507076754875827042" /></a><br /><br />This is how people traveled in style back then.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0SSsRA2gI/AAAAAAAAAjA/8dIZamE0RU8/s1600/IMG_3181.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0SSsRA2gI/AAAAAAAAAjA/8dIZamE0RU8/s320/IMG_3181.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507078031673448962" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />There was even a Shachichoko that visitors could take a picture with. Since it was made for people to sit on, I decided to be different and stand behind it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Tn6PFxQI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/uy6nwyA4WX4/s1600/IMG_3281.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0Tn6PFxQI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/uy6nwyA4WX4/s320/IMG_3281.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507079495712359682" /></a><br /><br />Back at the refreshment stand/gift shop outside the castle:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0S8LMdZUI/AAAAAAAAAjI/xUklVZCscCs/s1600/IMG_3292.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TG0S8LMdZUI/AAAAAAAAAjI/xUklVZCscCs/s320/IMG_3292.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507078744350483778" /></a><br />clockwise from top right: vanilla, strawberry mix, maccha, chocolate mix, miso<br /><br />Guess which flavor I ended up ordering?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">More Nagoya-jo, Electric Museum and MORE! coming later.</span><br /><br />After we left the Electric Museum we saw a maid advertising for her place on the street. I really wanted to take a picture so I pretended I couldn't speak Japanese and it paid off! Sorry.<br /><br />Somehow, I got the the feeling that if I asked in Japanese, I would be perceived as creepy or something and/or get refused. I think tourists/gaijin are given more leeway when making 'unreasonable requests' so I did what I felt I had to. Blame society!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGe5S0Uyf6I/AAAAAAAAAe4/t5DyN3vaBLM/s1600/IMG_3307.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGe5S0Uyf6I/AAAAAAAAAe4/t5DyN3vaBLM/s320/IMG_3307.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505572802418343842" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGe5SbUrTnI/AAAAAAAAAew/ZlAZ9_fI6S0/s1600/IMG_3308.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGe5SbUrTnI/AAAAAAAAAew/ZlAZ9_fI6S0/s320/IMG_3308.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505572795706986098" /></a><br /><br />Moery was more like an izakaya or something since they served alcohol as well. Got some drinks, seasoned fries and hot dogs cut to look like octopuses. Was kind of expensive, but it was really interesting. Thanks to Hana(はな), Kagura(神楽) and (squints at name tag in picture) Norike(のりけ)! <br /><br />Should have probably paid to get pictures with the girls in Moery as well. They gave me a point card so I have some incentive to go back, I suppose. Maybe not as much as Hiro since Hana said that he reminded her of her younger brother. He even had Hana write her younger brother's name (ゆう君)in place of his in the space for the customer's name on his card!mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-23394664658448288362010-08-12T07:01:00.006-07:002010-08-18T03:24:02.895-07:002010.07.26 Nagoya!The limited yatsuhashi I bought @ Toei Eigamura finally went bad. Despite my best efforts I only succeeded in eating about half the box. Such a shame since it would have made a good omiyage. Lesson learned: when buying food as omiyage, always check the expiration date.<br /><br />Had plans to meet up with Ayako and Hiro in Nagoya @ 11am. Checked out of the hotel and walked over to Nishinakajima-Minamigata Station but rode the escalator up to the platform of the train going in the opposite direction! OTL<br /><br />Had to take a few breaks, but eventually made it down the stairs and back up them to the other side so I could get to Shin-Osaka Station to catch the Shinkansen to Nagoya. Got the coveted last seat in the car so I had somewhere to put my luggage and watch over it, even though I fell asleep for a bit after the sweat stopped exploding out of my pores.<br /><br />Got to Nagoya station and met Hiro!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZunfKJGuI/AAAAAAAAAYo/3UCoXxKQO10/s1600/IMG_3086.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZunfKJGuI/AAAAAAAAAYo/3UCoXxKQO10/s320/IMG_3086.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505209219165002466" /></a><br /><br />Luckily the hotel was only about a block away because Nagoya was HOT as well!<br /><br />Was able to leave my bags at the hotel and after a quick shirt change, the plan was to go find Ayako (wherever she was). At this point I started feeling a bit bad I didn't bring a better omiyage but Hiro ate the chocolate mac nuts even though they were bit melted.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZvfm0rZ7I/AAAAAAAAAYw/gXjNJkvnAYw/s1600/IMG_3087.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZvfm0rZ7I/AAAAAAAAAYw/gXjNJkvnAYw/s320/IMG_3087.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505210183295133618" /></a><br /><br />Apparently, Ayako was in some department store so we went over there. There's a giant mannequin so it seemed like a good idea to take some pictures.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZxuXtTd1I/AAAAAAAAAY4/dCDsKUQwljc/s1600/IMG_3089.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZxuXtTd1I/AAAAAAAAAY4/dCDsKUQwljc/s320/IMG_3089.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505212635958966098" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZxuxi6z_I/AAAAAAAAAZA/kS2qdr-4Sk8/s1600/IMG_3090.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZxuxi6z_I/AAAAAAAAAZA/kS2qdr-4Sk8/s320/IMG_3090.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505212642894729202" /></a><br /><br />There's Ayako!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZy9cOxVeI/AAAAAAAAAZI/LfSqL9BCInI/s1600/IMG_3093.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZy9cOxVeI/AAAAAAAAAZI/LfSqL9BCInI/s320/IMG_3093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505213994382743010" /></a><br /><br />From there (wherever that was) we went over to Sakae and I got to see the Jump Store, that sells all kinds of Shonen Jump stuff. Temptation was great but cheapness prevailed! Right next door was the NHK(?) store and again nothing interested me enough to spend money. Plus, I thought I was going to come back later.<br /><br />There was a stage set up. I wonder who was scheduled to perform.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZz5y3_hcI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/inQclGO95U0/s1600/IMG_3094.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZz5y3_hcI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/inQclGO95U0/s320/IMG_3094.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505215031253370306" /></a><br /><br />On the roof was some kind of fountain but it did nothing to make the heat less painful! At least it looked nice and futuristic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2NTTThvI/AAAAAAAAAZo/rzsnvO-3gRo/s1600/IMG_3099.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2NTTThvI/AAAAAAAAAZo/rzsnvO-3gRo/s320/IMG_3099.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505217565398632178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2M_n9lRI/AAAAAAAAAZg/NJ5vfOhMNGA/s1600/IMG_3098.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2M_n9lRI/AAAAAAAAAZg/NJ5vfOhMNGA/s320/IMG_3098.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505217560116565266" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2MrLJDWI/AAAAAAAAAZY/p9xYeH4rckw/s1600/IMG_3095.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2MrLJDWI/AAAAAAAAAZY/p9xYeH4rckw/s320/IMG_3095.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505217554626973026" /></a><br /><br />Yet another Japanese tower!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2Nz_CHTI/AAAAAAAAAZw/c3scotB3whc/s1600/IMG_3096.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ2Nz_CHTI/AAAAAAAAAZw/c3scotB3whc/s320/IMG_3096.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505217574171974962" /></a><br /><br />I could sort of see Sunshine Sakae, but didn't go check it out. maybe next time I can ride the ferris wheel or something.<br /><br />One of Nagoya's famous foods is miso katsu, tonkatsu covered in a sweet miso sauce, so the plans for lunch were to go to a well known miso katsu restaurant Yabuton(?).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ3cJzbHaI/AAAAAAAAAaA/IhIw3SHzeA8/s1600/IMG_3101.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ3cJzbHaI/AAAAAAAAAaA/IhIw3SHzeA8/s320/IMG_3101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505218920058658210" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ3bpz7YdI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/j4QJrbTqPNA/s1600/IMG_3102.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ3bpz7YdI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/j4QJrbTqPNA/s320/IMG_3102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505218911470838226" /></a><br /><br />Engrish time! They offer a 'Harf & Harf' option (half miso, half katsu sauce) as well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ37efRrgI/AAAAAAAAAaI/A1ENKh7ZuTM/s1600/IMG_3104.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ37efRrgI/AAAAAAAAAaI/A1ENKh7ZuTM/s320/IMG_3104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505219458187243010" /></a><br /><br />Miso katsu! Kinda sweet, but still quite good in it's own way.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ429ngxiI/AAAAAAAAAag/H1PNJuxAA3U/s1600/IMG_3106.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ429ngxiI/AAAAAAAAAag/H1PNJuxAA3U/s320/IMG_3106.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505220480155567650" /></a><br /><br />Saw a store with a Hawaiian flag outside so we had to go in, but there was nothing I couldn't get at home so nothing got bought at considerable markup.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ42X6A3CI/AAAAAAAAAaY/BC-O1kLqp5w/s1600/IMG_3107.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ42X6A3CI/AAAAAAAAAaY/BC-O1kLqp5w/s320/IMG_3107.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505220470032620578" /></a><br /><br />I felt sorry for these dogs. Must be so hot under all that fur! Not sure if the owner was being genuine or facetious when he asked if I had "properly taken a picture" of his dogs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ42I14DWI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/WRRrjGpX1Mg/s1600/IMG_3108.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZ42I14DWI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/WRRrjGpX1Mg/s320/IMG_3108.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505220465988734306" /></a><br /><br />At this point, it was so hot and because Ayako wore "Japanese girl shoes" (high heels) and her feet were hurting, we decided to watch a movie. We had to wait around for over an hour since the other show was sold out but we got to see the 4:40pm showing of Inception and it was probably the best movie I saw all year, maybe even better than the original Matrix!<br /><br />One of the other foods that Nagoya is famous for is tebasaki! Basically, they're chicken wings but not as deeply battered or drowned in sauce like other kinds. It's more a peppery kind of flavor, I suppose. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcE6enfmjI/AAAAAAAAAao/7Kj8yRwEIRg/s1600/IMG_3131.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcE6enfmjI/AAAAAAAAAao/7Kj8yRwEIRg/s320/IMG_3131.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505374472181357106" /></a><br />Tebasaki w/ agedofu and edamame. Note the special pot to put the bones.<br /><br />This usually goes quite well with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoppy_(beverage)">Hoppy</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcG3qgl7cI/AAAAAAAAAa4/Gvt4t-calKI/s1600/IMG_3129.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcG3qgl7cI/AAAAAAAAAa4/Gvt4t-calKI/s320/IMG_3129.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505376622857285058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcG3bRLdPI/AAAAAAAAAaw/XzTSPm2-Cs0/s1600/IMG_3130.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcG3bRLdPI/AAAAAAAAAaw/XzTSPm2-Cs0/s320/IMG_3130.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505376618766103794" /></a><br />I didn't know the alcohol content was so low! I feel cheated now!<br /><br />As if I didn't take enough pictures, now I'm taking pictures of people taking pictures! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcHqbKDqQI/AAAAAAAAAbI/FDm1C0YsSDw/s1600/IMG_3132.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcHqbKDqQI/AAAAAAAAAbI/FDm1C0YsSDw/s320/IMG_3132.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505377494909561090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcHp9QbRUI/AAAAAAAAAbA/60Sk7aedmOg/s1600/IMG_3133.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcHp9QbRUI/AAAAAAAAAbA/60Sk7aedmOg/s320/IMG_3133.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505377486883210562" /></a><br /><br />Hiro reading a 'very important' text. Might have been a follow-up to the 'very important' phone call he had to make hours earlier.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcIUlYGcdI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/zeEJujSWXnU/s1600/IMG_3134.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcIUlYGcdI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/zeEJujSWXnU/s320/IMG_3134.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505378219207324114" /></a><br /><br />After this, Ayako had to go home since she lives in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahara,_Aichi">Tahara</a> which is super far away from Nagoya, and had to go to some job hunting related event the next day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcJK1E2TbI/AAAAAAAAAbY/UYwqBwOBWxw/s1600/IMG_3136.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcJK1E2TbI/AAAAAAAAAbY/UYwqBwOBWxw/s320/IMG_3136.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505379151134477746" /></a><br /><br />Fun day, but from now on I'll be on the constant lookout for tebasaki, since I have no idea where it's sold in Hawaii!mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-33453550382456350512010-08-12T07:01:00.005-07:002010-09-01T02:51:41.819-07:002010.07.25 Uji Byoudo-inHad plans to meet Ai and Saki at Uji Station in Kyoto @ 3pm, so I took the Shinkansen over from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto Station for lunch.<br /><br />Got a Log Kit Sasebo Burger from the food court mysteriously located on the 10th floor of the station.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4M2bDgeI/AAAAAAAAAd4/P1O47vm7NFc/s1600/IMG_3018.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4M2bDgeI/AAAAAAAAAd4/P1O47vm7NFc/s320/IMG_3018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505430862902297058" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4NU5jN4I/AAAAAAAAAeA/93ncD9_ceFQ/s1600/IMG_3022.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4NU5jN4I/AAAAAAAAAeA/93ncD9_ceFQ/s320/IMG_3022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505430871083267970" /></a><br /><br />JR Uji Station<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4NgcuPII/AAAAAAAAAeI/EUb3t1DpaWc/s1600/IMG_3027.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4NgcuPII/AAAAAAAAAeI/EUb3t1DpaWc/s320/IMG_3027.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505430874183580802" /></a><br /><br />Interesting mailbox<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4ONwcdXI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/f0emVPascrE/s1600/IMG_3028.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4ONwcdXI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/f0emVPascrE/s320/IMG_3028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505430886345897330" /></a><br /><br />Genji Monogatari-themed decorations?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4Om9g1yI/AAAAAAAAAeY/BWq78aCoF60/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc4Om9g1yI/AAAAAAAAAeY/BWq78aCoF60/s320/IMG_3031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505430893111596834" /></a><br /><br />I misunderstood the plans to meet up so I changed the meeting place to the JR Uji station but things worked out. Sometimes, I should slow down and make sure I understand what people are saying before I say "I got it!" then answer something different.<br /><br />Saw Ai and Saki arrive at the station, but wasn't completely sure it was them so I waited a little longer before I went over. They were waiting by the gate, so I figured it was them and went over. <br /><br />At first it seemed like we were wandering aimlessly, but the plan was probably to maximize sightseeing. No sense going straight to Byoudo-in because the scenic route is so much better!<br /><br />More Genji Monogatari sculptures<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4ehrhJQMI/AAAAAAAAA74/JQ_6HnrpOBY/s1600/IMG_3032.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4ehrhJQMI/AAAAAAAAA74/JQ_6HnrpOBY/s320/IMG_3032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511876557914325186" /></a><br /><br />I don't know what that pose is all about.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4ehHOjliI/AAAAAAAAA7w/EOXNYu9T-D4/s1600/IMG_3033.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4ehHOjliI/AAAAAAAAA7w/EOXNYu9T-D4/s320/IMG_3033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511876548172682786" /></a><br /><br />Ai saw some ducks so she ran away. Ornithophobia (fear of birds)?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc-VCsgevI/AAAAAAAAAeo/nhqC34lPZTU/s1600/IMG_3037.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc-VCsgevI/AAAAAAAAAeo/nhqC34lPZTU/s320/IMG_3037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505437600705444594" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc-U8_aS5I/AAAAAAAAAeg/jQfnVx_kSBA/s1600/IMG_3039.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGc-U8_aS5I/AAAAAAAAAeg/jQfnVx_kSBA/s320/IMG_3039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505437599174118290" /></a><br /><br />There is also a service to have birds catch you fish (that you eat). Hmmmmm.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4egoDHGjI/AAAAAAAAA7o/iA4xnm8OIyo/s1600/IMG_3040.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4egoDHGjI/AAAAAAAAA7o/iA4xnm8OIyo/s320/IMG_3040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511876539803179570" /></a><br /><br />The original Byodo-in was soo much better than the mini-sized Hawaii version!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dTPwf5jI/AAAAAAAAA7A/troGxtzy2lw/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dTPwf5jI/AAAAAAAAA7A/troGxtzy2lw/s320/IMG_3049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511875210432734770" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dTiyIlyI/AAAAAAAAA7I/iq2SczpCgOA/s1600/IMG_3048.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dTiyIlyI/AAAAAAAAA7I/iq2SczpCgOA/s320/IMG_3048.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511875215539869474" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dUG8hUhI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/QLR8lnyeVHQ/s1600/IMG_3051.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dUG8hUhI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/QLR8lnyeVHQ/s320/IMG_3051.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511875225247109650" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dS7nSw2I/AAAAAAAAA64/QE8_ICmm7zs/s1600/IMG_3046.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dS7nSw2I/AAAAAAAAA64/QE8_ICmm7zs/s320/IMG_3046.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511875205025416034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dSOvCEuI/AAAAAAAAA6w/cepMiAi1V3Y/s1600/IMG_3045.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4dSOvCEuI/AAAAAAAAA6w/cepMiAi1V3Y/s320/IMG_3045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511875192978281186" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4egfXtp_I/AAAAAAAAA7g/CF4ekqTDXzo/s1600/IMG_3053.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4egfXtp_I/AAAAAAAAA7g/CF4ekqTDXzo/s320/IMG_3053.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511876537473673202" /></a><br /><br />After Byodo-in the plan was to get something cold to eat and try dispel the heat.<br /><br />Not only do I take pictures of my food, but I also take pictures of other people taking pictures of their food too!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z8xDTTVI/AAAAAAAAA5o/D8a-PIEFB54/s1600/IMG_3054.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z8xDTTVI/AAAAAAAAA5o/D8a-PIEFB54/s320/IMG_3054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511871525698096466" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z9a_CnTI/AAAAAAAAA5w/RSvyrb4oxyY/s1600/IMG_3055.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z9a_CnTI/AAAAAAAAA5w/RSvyrb4oxyY/s320/IMG_3055.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511871536954514738" /></a><br /><br /><br />It was kinda scary since we could hear thunder all day. The sky looked kinda ominous.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z9g63cwI/AAAAAAAAA54/BKj-0DTAtOA/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z9g63cwI/AAAAAAAAA54/BKj-0DTAtOA/s320/IMG_3057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511871538547618562" /></a><br /><br />On the way back, it was suggested we check out the 'zero yen' store. The concept is that customers can eat as much salad and tea as they want for free. The salad dressings and teas are for sale. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z91xTsRI/AAAAAAAAA6A/CzAUA5w-3JE/s1600/IMG_3059.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z91xTsRI/AAAAAAAAA6A/CzAUA5w-3JE/s320/IMG_3059.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511871544144670994" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z-RawmkI/AAAAAAAAA6I/FI-nHgLefak/s1600/IMG_3061.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4Z-RawmkI/AAAAAAAAA6I/FI-nHgLefak/s320/IMG_3061.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511871551566289474" /></a><br /><br />(?) tea, Goya (bittermelon) tea, guava tea, regular green tea<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4bd9hGfAI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/3nx7_QWFyNc/s1600/IMG_3062.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4bd9hGfAI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/3nx7_QWFyNc/s320/IMG_3062.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511873195491621890" /></a><br />A "free lunch". I ended up buying 3 bags of tea later. 2 bags of the goya tea since it was cheaper that way(?).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4beQWFm0I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/Z3YJZXeHL14/s1600/IMG_3063.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4beQWFm0I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/Z3YJZXeHL14/s320/IMG_3063.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511873200545700674" /></a><br /><br />Back at JR Uji, it was time to head back to Osaka. I taught Saki and Ai the meaning of crossing one's fingers. I wish I could say they were hoping I'd be back soon, but they were hoping for good test results, instead.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4berQm2kI/AAAAAAAAA6g/4VMKE923rF8/s1600/IMG_3065.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4berQm2kI/AAAAAAAAA6g/4VMKE923rF8/s320/IMG_3065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511873207770470978" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4bfUTOL6I/AAAAAAAAA6o/qKljlJ8DYi0/s1600/IMG_3067.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4bfUTOL6I/AAAAAAAAA6o/qKljlJ8DYi0/s320/IMG_3067.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511873218787291042" /></a><br />Uji is a great place and I would want to go back, although I'd probably have to see what else there is to do/see there. And obviously, not visit during the summer.<br /><br />Was kind of tired by the time I got back to Osaka, and because Justin mentioned being free in the evening (but not giving me his contact info) I waited around for a call/text but nothing came. Eventually, I decided to go out to get some dinner. There were lots of people on the train in yukata. Somehow, I had forgotten that the Tenjin Matsuri finale was tonight and was probably over or ending around that time (9-10pm). Went to Dotonburi and ended up at Creo Ru and ordered up a takoyaki x kushi katsu x okonomiyaki set and grape chu hai.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gSQNqgNI/AAAAAAAAA8A/SHoxDY1GaAY/s1600/IMG_3070.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gSQNqgNI/AAAAAAAAA8A/SHoxDY1GaAY/s320/IMG_3070.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511878491910078674" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gS7O8AgI/AAAAAAAAA8I/L4BX7KRp8yc/s1600/IMG_3071.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gS7O8AgI/AAAAAAAAA8I/L4BX7KRp8yc/s320/IMG_3071.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511878503458144770" /></a> <br /><br />Came here back when I made it out to Osaka in 2008, but somehow the okonomiyaki was nowhere near as good as I recall. Maybe my okonomiyaki sense went up since then? Rode back to the hotel wishing I had gone to the food court in Umeda Station instead.<br /><br />I should have tried one of these places instead.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gTRlSfuI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/yM2ib-xA2AQ/s1600/IMG_3073.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gTRlSfuI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/yM2ib-xA2AQ/s320/IMG_3073.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511878509457473250" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gTyi6xZI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/9fXpsn9RRns/s1600/IMG_3074.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TH4gTyi6xZI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/9fXpsn9RRns/s320/IMG_3074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511878518305899922" /></a>mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-72685840256419735512010-08-12T07:01:00.003-07:002010-09-27T03:34:01.418-07:002010.07.24 Osaka-jo, KaiyukanPost still under construction as I took almost 450 pics this day. Sorry for the delay.<br /><br />I decided to try and get out and see more than I did the previous day despite the oppressive heat.<br /><br />First destination was Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle)!<br /><br />There is is off in the distance!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaFa2hV7I/AAAAAAAAA8g/COen2sH8C1Y/s1600/IMG_2552.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaFa2hV7I/AAAAAAAAA8g/COen2sH8C1Y/s320/IMG_2552.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521512192310073266" /></a><br />Part of their defense system was being behind several walls and moats so it's a bit of a walk to say the least.<br /><br />One of the moats and what might be the Osaka Museum of History in the distance.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaF-1dYXI/AAAAAAAAA8o/PjHa9-Ru0X4/s1600/IMG_2553.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaF-1dYXI/AAAAAAAAA8o/PjHa9-Ru0X4/s320/IMG_2553.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521512201969295730" /></a><br /><br />Where there's a moat there should be a bridge (hot oil and archers not always included).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaGPQ5a_I/AAAAAAAAA8w/dshzl8yUgqM/s1600/IMG_2561.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaGPQ5a_I/AAAAAAAAA8w/dshzl8yUgqM/s320/IMG_2561.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521512206379346930" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaGUTmQlI/AAAAAAAAA84/IDsQfMmEzMY/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaGUTmQlI/AAAAAAAAA84/IDsQfMmEzMY/s320/IMG_2563.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521512207732851282" /></a><br />Info about the bridge.<br /><br />Once you get inside you are rewarded with more walking, this time up a steep ramp which may or may not be original.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaGmJStyI/AAAAAAAAA9A/WTyszcMc9jk/s1600/IMG_2566.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBaGmJStyI/AAAAAAAAA9A/WTyszcMc9jk/s320/IMG_2566.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521512212521465634" /></a><br /><br />And once you get up to the top, there is a courtyard where a bunch of samurai would probably cut you down.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcJBoY-zI/AAAAAAAAA9I/x4ObPQ6KTx0/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcJBoY-zI/AAAAAAAAA9I/x4ObPQ6KTx0/s320/IMG_2567.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521514453282650930" /></a><br /><br />Almost inside Osaka-jo!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcJT5Y1aI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/mUGsDLztuuI/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcJT5Y1aI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/mUGsDLztuuI/s320/IMG_2570.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521514458185782690" /></a><br /><br />Yay for random Japanese people wearing Hawaiian words on their shirts! But at least it didn't go too far and have something nonsensical that was obviously thought up by someone who had never been to Hawaii.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcJhaEMTI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/aJB2Dg4otPg/s1600/IMG_2574.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcJhaEMTI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/aJB2Dg4otPg/s320/IMG_2574.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521514461812502834" /></a><br /><br />A disclaimer to remind people that the elevator was never used by the Shogun who lived there.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcKJv_xhI/AAAAAAAAA9g/t7UXW_ocaOE/s1600/IMG_2575.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcKJv_xhI/AAAAAAAAA9g/t7UXW_ocaOE/s320/IMG_2575.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521514472641906194" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcKVfjAEI/AAAAAAAAA9o/BDh5xSK6T4E/s1600/IMG_2576.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBcKVfjAEI/AAAAAAAAA9o/BDh5xSK6T4E/s320/IMG_2576.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521514475794137154" /></a><br /><br />Instead of cuckoo clocks they had cannons to mark the time of day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfZnHhQDI/AAAAAAAAA9w/3m-1fP1k8AA/s1600/IMG_2585.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfZnHhQDI/AAAAAAAAA9w/3m-1fP1k8AA/s320/IMG_2585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521518036758118450" /></a><br /><br />View from the top floor.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfZ_oaEAI/AAAAAAAAA94/ODwYMNKNR70/s1600/IMG_2586.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfZ_oaEAI/AAAAAAAAA94/ODwYMNKNR70/s320/IMG_2586.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521518043338510338" /></a><br />Bling!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfaEpOIFI/AAAAAAAAA-A/PqnZULXnfV0/s1600/IMG_2590.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfaEpOIFI/AAAAAAAAA-A/PqnZULXnfV0/s320/IMG_2590.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521518044684099666" /></a><br /><br />Almost caught a ride on the train back to the station but...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfa0XDGXI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/OOfREjGLIa0/s1600/IMG_2628.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfa0XDGXI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/OOfREjGLIa0/s320/IMG_2628.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521518057492781426" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfaq7HQ6I/AAAAAAAAA-I/N8fKIpjHcyA/s1600/IMG_2621.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBfaq7HQ6I/AAAAAAAAA-I/N8fKIpjHcyA/s320/IMG_2621.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521518054959694754" /></a><br /><br />Went back to the hotel for a quick shower and change of clothes before heading to Kaiyukan.<br /><br />Finally got some good pictures of the otters!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkiNM3RfI/AAAAAAAAA-w/D5M503TdGTA/s1600/IMG_2690.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkiNM3RfI/AAAAAAAAA-w/D5M503TdGTA/s320/IMG_2690.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521523681978172914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkhrn-lvI/AAAAAAAAA-o/ZcGya8uPrII/s1600/IMG_2684.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkhrn-lvI/AAAAAAAAA-o/ZcGya8uPrII/s320/IMG_2684.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521523672965093106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkhcT583I/AAAAAAAAA-g/EndVF3fR1qU/s1600/IMG_2683.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkhcT583I/AAAAAAAAA-g/EndVF3fR1qU/s320/IMG_2683.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521523668854371186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkg4uo9tI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/3SA-MMaZcdY/s1600/IMG_2676.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkg4uo9tI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/3SA-MMaZcdY/s320/IMG_2676.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521523659302827730" /></a><br />Sea Lions!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkiWmAFiI/AAAAAAAAA-4/884cqfhHDeM/s1600/IMG_2716.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBkiWmAFiI/AAAAAAAAA-4/884cqfhHDeM/s320/IMG_2716.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521523684499527202" /></a><br /><br />Seals!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmrqzXZaI/AAAAAAAAA_I/Jiz_-cEDiJc/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmrqzXZaI/AAAAAAAAA_I/Jiz_-cEDiJc/s320/IMG_2733.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521526043566368162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmrYlZYsI/AAAAAAAAA_A/CMYwxExiok8/s1600/IMG_2727.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmrYlZYsI/AAAAAAAAA_A/CMYwxExiok8/s320/IMG_2727.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521526038675940034" /></a><br /><br />Another turtle; probably not related to the one from Toji Temple.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmr5brwjI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/nAeiDpbxrRw/s1600/IMG_2737.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmr5brwjI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/nAeiDpbxrRw/s320/IMG_2737.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521526047493571122" /></a><br /><br />Monster fish<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmsJQ1XCI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/s3_ex-aZOzQ/s1600/IMG_2747.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBmsJQ1XCI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/s3_ex-aZOzQ/s320/IMG_2747.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521526051743030306" /></a><br /><br />Capybara<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBms4uODrI/AAAAAAAAA_g/Q71oFkXwav8/s1600/IMG_2761.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBms4uODrI/AAAAAAAAA_g/Q71oFkXwav8/s320/IMG_2761.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521526064482750130" /></a><br />Creepy-looking fish<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq9f56PlI/AAAAAAAAA_o/mJwU0gVUgwE/s1600/IMG_2766.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq9f56PlI/AAAAAAAAA_o/mJwU0gVUgwE/s320/IMG_2766.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521530747925184082" /></a><br />Penguins!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq90ToQdI/AAAAAAAAA_4/ZThO5UluBEM/s1600/IMG_2777.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq90ToQdI/AAAAAAAAA_4/ZThO5UluBEM/s320/IMG_2777.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521530753401766354" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq9mlS9oI/AAAAAAAAA_w/XnfncZtq-w8/s1600/IMG_2772.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq9mlS9oI/AAAAAAAAA_w/XnfncZtq-w8/s320/IMG_2772.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521530749717771906" /></a><br /><br />Some fake-looking dolphin pics.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq-k9Q6xI/AAAAAAAABAI/sdZQ3PoIwY8/s1600/IMG_2787.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq-k9Q6xI/AAAAAAAABAI/sdZQ3PoIwY8/s320/IMG_2787.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521530766461299474" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq-beuJ0I/AAAAAAAABAA/dVCxfeV1_K4/s1600/IMG_2786.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBq-beuJ0I/AAAAAAAABAA/dVCxfeV1_K4/s320/IMG_2786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521530763917272898" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs1kTsIyI/AAAAAAAABAY/NSmUpEOPjBM/s1600/IMG_2792.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs1kTsIyI/AAAAAAAABAY/NSmUpEOPjBM/s320/IMG_2792.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521532810691355426" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs1XwTCtI/AAAAAAAABAQ/6NLdQs5cr3E/s1600/IMG_2790.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs1XwTCtI/AAAAAAAABAQ/6NLdQs5cr3E/s320/IMG_2790.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521532807321684690" /></a><br /><br />Reef fish<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs16tl8LI/AAAAAAAABAg/cBj0WP3ZiEo/s1600/IMG_2796.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs16tl8LI/AAAAAAAABAg/cBj0WP3ZiEo/s320/IMG_2796.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521532816705581234" /></a><br /><br />Fin-less porpoise info<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs2dQ7sHI/AAAAAAAABAo/zLEks-RyO-E/s1600/IMG_2818.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs2dQ7sHI/AAAAAAAABAo/zLEks-RyO-E/s320/IMG_2818.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521532825980612722" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs2tjJq3I/AAAAAAAABAw/WJhCQdfzr0g/s1600/IMG_2819.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBs2tjJq3I/AAAAAAAABAw/WJhCQdfzr0g/s320/IMG_2819.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521532830351993714" /></a><br />Whale sharks!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu6rYtj1I/AAAAAAAABBQ/KzsSbqIxDdI/s1600/IMG_2935.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu6rYtj1I/AAAAAAAABBQ/KzsSbqIxDdI/s320/IMG_2935.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521535097514069842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu6G2Bx6I/AAAAAAAABBI/tf7v4iQZb-c/s1600/IMG_2921.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu6G2Bx6I/AAAAAAAABBI/tf7v4iQZb-c/s320/IMG_2921.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521535087704917922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu5_VSrgI/AAAAAAAABBA/xoRrsBSj1d8/s1600/IMG_2851.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu5_VSrgI/AAAAAAAABBA/xoRrsBSj1d8/s320/IMG_2851.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521535085688565250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu5j_82lI/AAAAAAAABA4/w020KfLI224/s1600/IMG_2822.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBu5j_82lI/AAAAAAAABA4/w020KfLI224/s320/IMG_2822.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521535078351297106" /></a><br /><br /><br />Shark petting area; seems like a bad idea to me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxrxsgfQI/AAAAAAAABBo/xMN7mBpM9qQ/s1600/IMG_3009.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxrxsgfQI/AAAAAAAABBo/xMN7mBpM9qQ/s320/IMG_3009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521538140044557570" /></a><br />Petted a few; they were slimy and/or rough. Was kinda worried about the possibility of being bitten as well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxrodzTJI/AAAAAAAABBg/CbX5s9VAMNo/s1600/IMG_3008.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxrodzTJI/AAAAAAAABBg/CbX5s9VAMNo/s320/IMG_3008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521538137566956690" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxrFXpuUI/AAAAAAAABBY/F196p5XE2m0/s1600/IMG_3007.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxrFXpuUI/AAAAAAAABBY/F196p5XE2m0/s320/IMG_3007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521538128145922370" /></a><br /><br />Made my way to Umeda & re-discovered the Gourmet Museum. Curry Ome-rice!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxsE5FWTI/AAAAAAAABBw/gd0z8E_twXQ/s1600/IMG_3016.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TKBxsE5FWTI/AAAAAAAABBw/gd0z8E_twXQ/s320/IMG_3016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521538145197578546" /></a>mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-34970300819146991132010-08-12T07:00:00.003-07:002010-08-14T17:13:04.685-07:002010.07.22 From Beppu back to Osaka!Woke up early and did some laundry. Checked out of the hostel, got come chocolates and a postcard. Took some pictures with the staff before I headed down to the station to catch the Sonic back to Kokura.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGche82vpvI/AAAAAAAAAb4/r8yWvFYf1rU/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGche82vpvI/AAAAAAAAAb4/r8yWvFYf1rU/s320/IMG_2313.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505405885099255538" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcheWcRlOI/AAAAAAAAAbw/xcbLp0N_nvE/s1600/IMG_2315.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcheWcRlOI/AAAAAAAAAbw/xcbLp0N_nvE/s320/IMG_2315.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505405874787685602" /></a><br /><br />One last look at the park where the matsuri that I couldn't go to would be.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcwzPjo30I/AAAAAAAAAdw/wDn4r41D4xY/s1600/IMG_2316.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcwzPjo30I/AAAAAAAAAdw/wDn4r41D4xY/s320/IMG_2316.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505422726391193410" /></a><br />Apparently, Oita is known for Tori-ten (chicken tenpura) which originated there, so I had to get some before I left. Went to the food court where I got ramen the day before and got a bento.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcgpkjlTNI/AAAAAAAAAbo/DRnCA4wNQtQ/s1600/IMG_2326.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcgpkjlTNI/AAAAAAAAAbo/DRnCA4wNQtQ/s320/IMG_2326.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505404968043367634" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcgpJltaMI/AAAAAAAAAbg/3e3QvpusHL4/s1600/IMG_2323.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcgpJltaMI/AAAAAAAAAbg/3e3QvpusHL4/s320/IMG_2323.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505404960804530370" /></a><br /><br />Here comes the Sonic!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci5n50l3I/AAAAAAAAAcA/645qELOJTWY/s1600/IMG_2327.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci5n50l3I/AAAAAAAAAcA/645qELOJTWY/s320/IMG_2327.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407442843113330" /></a><br /><br />Blurry Japanese countryside photos taken from the train.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci6oNjrnI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/X9tnOZPhpzM/s1600/IMG_2341.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci6oNjrnI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/X9tnOZPhpzM/s320/IMG_2341.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407460105760370" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci6GVnQLI/AAAAAAAAAcI/T_LC44RpkPI/s1600/IMG_2335.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci6GVnQLI/AAAAAAAAAcI/T_LC44RpkPI/s320/IMG_2335.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407451012743346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci7WXFO1I/AAAAAAAAAcg/j8qrPNn3DWw/s1600/IMG_2334.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci7WXFO1I/AAAAAAAAAcg/j8qrPNn3DWw/s320/IMG_2334.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407472493738834" /></a><br /><br />Old train.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci61r0nRI/AAAAAAAAAcY/PI0r1bU-hDQ/s1600/IMG_2340.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGci61r0nRI/AAAAAAAAAcY/PI0r1bU-hDQ/s320/IMG_2340.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505407463722360082" /></a><br /><br />Waiting @ Kokura for the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsWr6iqzI/AAAAAAAAAco/S6QANavmRO0/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsWr6iqzI/AAAAAAAAAco/S6QANavmRO0/s320/IMG_2361.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505417837740731186" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsYJKMNsI/AAAAAAAAAdA/1aSKOQN6rR8/s1600/IMG_2356.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsYJKMNsI/AAAAAAAAAdA/1aSKOQN6rR8/s320/IMG_2356.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505417862770865858" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsXjzvowI/AAAAAAAAAc4/OhBjOvSzDmA/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsXjzvowI/AAAAAAAAAc4/OhBjOvSzDmA/s320/IMG_2355.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505417852744606466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsYliSuPI/AAAAAAAAAdI/b7SCKYZyEIM/s1600/IMG_2357.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsYliSuPI/AAAAAAAAAdI/b7SCKYZyEIM/s320/IMG_2357.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505417870388148466" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsXEM6XnI/AAAAAAAAAcw/tvoyJp77JSI/s1600/IMG_2363.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcsXEM6XnI/AAAAAAAAAcw/tvoyJp77JSI/s320/IMG_2363.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505417844260232818" /></a><br /><br />Got to Shin-Osaka then somehow made it down to the subway platform to ride the Midosuji line down to Nishinakajima-Minamigata Station (one stop away) which was near the hotel. Went out the wrong exit and ended up walking a few blocks out of the way and had to cross over some train tracks to get there.<br /><br />Kind of small room.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvHVov_-I/AAAAAAAAAdo/Mq3ZcYxr7w8/s1600/IMG_2367.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvHVov_-I/AAAAAAAAAdo/Mq3ZcYxr7w8/s320/IMG_2367.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505420872597372898" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvGoHnhTI/AAAAAAAAAdY/bMhlkrH-Rio/s1600/IMG_2365.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvGoHnhTI/AAAAAAAAAdY/bMhlkrH-Rio/s320/IMG_2365.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505420860378809650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvHMNKc2I/AAAAAAAAAdg/RviV2sEv-oA/s1600/IMG_2366.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvHMNKc2I/AAAAAAAAAdg/RviV2sEv-oA/s320/IMG_2366.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505420870065746786" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvGYNJpmI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/BA72wAoCP-k/s1600/IMG_2364.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGcvGYNJpmI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/BA72wAoCP-k/s320/IMG_2364.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505420856107050594" /></a><br />It was about 4pm by this time and I was tired so the day ended here.mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-62383717312551406262010-08-12T07:00:00.001-07:002010-08-14T05:07:06.424-07:002010.07.21 Beppu Day 2People were setting up for a matsuri in the park near the hostel. Unfortunately, it started @ 5pm on the day I was leaving!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZLwwChA-I/AAAAAAAAAWY/Q4UpOyM28uA/s1600/IMG_2293.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZLwwChA-I/AAAAAAAAAWY/Q4UpOyM28uA/s320/IMG_2293.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505170895408268258" /></a><br /><br />Finally, the ocean! Sort of.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZNnpBDHmI/AAAAAAAAAW4/Q_8a5V8Kzv0/s1600/IMG_2272.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZNnpBDHmI/AAAAAAAAAW4/Q_8a5V8Kzv0/s320/IMG_2272.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505172937927499362" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZNnTzEe7I/AAAAAAAAAWw/hzLeEodDEes/s1600/IMG_2273.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZNnTzEe7I/AAAAAAAAAWw/hzLeEodDEes/s320/IMG_2273.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505172932231723954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZNm1uPIVI/AAAAAAAAAWo/i0LJeUONi8Q/s1600/IMG_2275.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZNm1uPIVI/AAAAAAAAAWo/i0LJeUONi8Q/s320/IMG_2275.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505172924158386514" /></a><br /><br />Beppu Beach!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZPGRikR-I/AAAAAAAAAXI/crnIxAqmIJY/s1600/IMG_2277.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZPGRikR-I/AAAAAAAAAXI/crnIxAqmIJY/s320/IMG_2277.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505174563713206242" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZPGLFV1CI/AAAAAAAAAXA/8s8gtL1t3Y8/s1600/IMG_2278.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZPGLFV1CI/AAAAAAAAAXA/8s8gtL1t3Y8/s320/IMG_2278.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505174561980011554" /></a><br /><br />Only 47km until I reach USA? Yes and no.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZMO-22OjI/AAAAAAAAAWg/XLFgWUfNqek/s1600/IMG_2281.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZMO-22OjI/AAAAAAAAAWg/XLFgWUfNqek/s320/IMG_2281.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505171414781934130" /></a><br /><br />Ended up back at Beppu Station.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZP9ALx7kI/AAAAAAAAAXg/Afdk6MHLfZc/s1600/IMG_2284.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZP9ALx7kI/AAAAAAAAAXg/Afdk6MHLfZc/s320/IMG_2284.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505175503947034178" /></a><br /><br />Next to the 'hand bath' was a statue of a man known as 'Shiny Uncle', who loved children.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZP8vqvvyI/AAAAAAAAAXY/6W0it-2g1ws/s1600/IMG_2285.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZP8vqvvyI/AAAAAAAAAXY/6W0it-2g1ws/s320/IMG_2285.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505175499513511714" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZP8EJ-jPI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/LyEO-lpk-3Y/s1600/IMG_2286.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZP8EJ-jPI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/LyEO-lpk-3Y/s320/IMG_2286.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505175487833345266" /></a><br /><br />Ramen at the food court. No 'kaedama' this time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZRHIDFOYI/AAAAAAAAAXw/fXoV_O5ONnM/s1600/IMG_2325.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZRHIDFOYI/AAAAAAAAAXw/fXoV_O5ONnM/s320/IMG_2325.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505176777368353154" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZRG0x8UDI/AAAAAAAAAXo/uHrwuCmxk4A/s1600/IMG_2288.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZRG0x8UDI/AAAAAAAAAXo/uHrwuCmxk4A/s320/IMG_2288.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505176772196192306" /></a><br /><br />Went back to hostel to take a bath and take refuge from the heat until it was time to go meet Yoshi for dinner.<br /><br />Went to a place called 'Ariran' which probably is the Japanese approximation of the Korean word 'arirang'. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZStFPYJ6I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/a_U_bH3LKo4/s1600/IMG_2299.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZStFPYJ6I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/a_U_bH3LKo4/s320/IMG_2299.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505178528961275810" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZSs31hw4I/AAAAAAAAAYI/i5F9CuObeqc/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZSs31hw4I/AAAAAAAAAYI/i5F9CuObeqc/s320/IMG_2295.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505178525363192706" /></a><br /><br />Hiyamen (cold noodles) and yakiniku!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZSsl_K5dI/AAAAAAAAAYA/fy1DKd-yCLI/s1600/IMG_2296.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZSsl_K5dI/AAAAAAAAAYA/fy1DKd-yCLI/s320/IMG_2296.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505178520571798994" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZSsOq5q7I/AAAAAAAAAX4/MLVUT5mOUeI/s1600/IMG_2297.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZSsOq5q7I/AAAAAAAAAX4/MLVUT5mOUeI/s320/IMG_2297.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505178514312768434" /></a><br /><br />Apparently, after I left to meet Yoshi, he tried to send me a message suggesting we go to an onsen since Beppu is famous for them. All we had to do was wait for his friends to come and pick us up.<br /><br />Starbucks: Maccha Frappuccino. Another awesome thing not available in the US.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZVLB3uxHI/AAAAAAAAAYY/Z6iO02BVX7c/s1600/IMG_2301.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZVLB3uxHI/AAAAAAAAAYY/Z6iO02BVX7c/s320/IMG_2301.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505181242476119154" /></a><br /><br />By the time everyone got it together, the fancy hotel onsen had already stopped selling entry tickets. Only place open was Hyoutan Onsen.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZVwknGTKI/AAAAAAAAAYg/NhrkDJ0HqXM/s1600/IMG_2303.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZVwknGTKI/AAAAAAAAAYg/NhrkDJ0HqXM/s320/IMG_2303.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505181887456758946" /></a><br />Wasn't bad but had hoped for hotter water. The sauna and cool bath were nice. I lost 2 kilos that night!mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-43309666300199912962010-08-12T02:32:00.003-07:002010-08-14T17:15:26.980-07:002010.07.20 Off to Kyushu!Knowing nothing more than the fact that the Shinkansen goes to Kyushu and that there is a JR train that goes to Beppu, I checked once more to see which trains I could catch. According to <a href="http://world.jorudan.co.jp/norikae/cgi-bin/engkeyin.cgi">jorudan</a>, it seemed that I'd be on the Shinkansen for 2 hours until Hakata then another 2-3 hours to get to Beppu. Thankfully, my friend Shige not only let me know of a faster route but offered to meet me for lunch at Kokura station, where I'd have to change trains anyway.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPoBg5cHYI/AAAAAAAAABg/gIqohel054Q/s1600/IMG_2129.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPoBg5cHYI/AAAAAAAAABg/gIqohel054Q/s320/IMG_2129.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504498282285243778" /></a><br /><br />After a few confusing minutes of trying to figure out where I was and how he could find me, we found each other and had some Hakata (?) ramen. One of the best things about Kyushi ramen that I found out was the custom of 替え玉(kaedama). Kaedama is where a customer can get another serving of noodles for only 100円! Of course, I asked for a kaedama as soon as I heard this and it was good!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPoByDRiZI/AAAAAAAAABo/zNrSZbyJysE/s1600/IMG_2127.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPoByDRiZI/AAAAAAAAABo/zNrSZbyJysE/s320/IMG_2127.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504498286889896338" /></a><br /><br />Got on the JR Sonic bound for Beppu and arrived at the station in about 1 hour. Yasuno said she was going to be late so I had planned to try check into the hostel and drop off my gigantic luggage before meeting her but my phone rang right after I got outside. This was good since she helped me find the place and after hauling my bag up a flight up extra narrow Japanese stairs, we went to get some food and see some things. Went to a place called Ureshi-ya just as they were opening for dinner.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPpWs6ZsgI/AAAAAAAAABw/oVrPS6nEmIo/s1600/IMG_2208.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPpWs6ZsgI/AAAAAAAAABw/oVrPS6nEmIo/s320/IMG_2208.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504499745799385602" /></a><br />One of the things I had wanted to try ever since I started learning about Japanese food was <span style="font-style:italic;">basashi</span> (horse meat sashimi) and luckily, Ureshi-ya had it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPr61t90DI/AAAAAAAAAB4/SDsxaNf0sH0/s1600/IMG_2149.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPr61t90DI/AAAAAAAAAB4/SDsxaNf0sH0/s320/IMG_2149.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504502565661691954" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPtDsopTgI/AAAAAAAAACA/pV1L-4ELMzY/s1600/IMG_2151.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPtDsopTgI/AAAAAAAAACA/pV1L-4ELMzY/s320/IMG_2151.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504503817353907714" /></a><br />After the basashi, karaage and nikujaga we walked around the shotengai and alleyways. Maybe this is the case in all of Japan but the fact that a centuries old onsen is only mere meters away from several adult establishments is still kind of a shock.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPvDf5hzuI/AAAAAAAAACI/qgS1LNVU5UQ/s1600/IMG_2175.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPvDf5hzuI/AAAAAAAAACI/qgS1LNVU5UQ/s320/IMG_2175.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504506012958314210" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPvDykh8nI/AAAAAAAAACQ/ZH6a7_I9tI4/s1600/IMG_2176.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPvDykh8nI/AAAAAAAAACQ/ZH6a7_I9tI4/s320/IMG_2176.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504506017970516594" /></a><br />There was a giant Tengu so I tried to pick it's nose.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPv_y45T0I/AAAAAAAAACY/owkLWt-akFQ/s1600/IMG_2158.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPv_y45T0I/AAAAAAAAACY/owkLWt-akFQ/s320/IMG_2158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504507048848084802" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPwYZGuSAI/AAAAAAAAACg/vIqBlBzPbeo/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPwYZGuSAI/AAAAAAAAACg/vIqBlBzPbeo/s320/IMG_2159.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504507471423490050" /></a><br />Yasuno did no such thing, because she's not weird like me (as far as I know).<br /><br />There was a golden deer or something outside a store so Yasuno tried to ride it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPw4aPGB6I/AAAAAAAAACo/dEewiZ0N2rg/s1600/IMG_2165.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPw4aPGB6I/AAAAAAAAACo/dEewiZ0N2rg/s320/IMG_2165.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504508021482850210" /></a><br />There was also some impossible to photograph suit of armor in a store window.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPxg1JlBuI/AAAAAAAAACw/l6LlPD_nKAY/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPxg1JlBuI/AAAAAAAAACw/l6LlPD_nKAY/s320/IMG_2178.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504508715902240482" /></a><br />And an evil-looking Billiken.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPxhZ9QT-I/AAAAAAAAAC4/1LHwXr4N-vE/s1600/IMG_2179.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGPxhZ9QT-I/AAAAAAAAAC4/1LHwXr4N-vE/s320/IMG_2179.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504508725782663138" /></a><br />On that note, day 1 in Kyushu drew to a close.<br /><br />Went to do some laundry and a strange old lady tried to borrow 3,000 yen from me. NO!mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-21290196525058673022010-08-12T02:32:00.001-07:002010-08-12T18:16:20.213-07:002010.07.19 Back to Kyoto, Checking out GionHad no set plans for today but my friend Kanae, who lives in Kyoto said she had the day off so I figured it'd be a good opportunity to see some places I hadn't before. Went to get my JR Pass so I could catch the Shinkansen there and back, or so I thought. Apparently, my idea of two weeks had been quite different than the people at JR so I had the pass re-issued from the 20th. Bought Thunderbird tickets but they never came so I wasted money.<br /><br />Once I got to Shijo Station, the game of text tag began. Since train stations are usually quite big, depending on which exit one leaves from could have them quite far away from where they intended to go. Sometimes, I wonder if it even makes sense to walk like 600 meters to another adjoining station only to ride the train for one stop since it might only be another 1000 meters away.<br /><br />After half an hour and 20 texts back and forth, Kanae found me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSVmI8yqRI/AAAAAAAAAIA/mwsGJ50kSmo/s1600/IMG_2073.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSVmI8yqRI/AAAAAAAAAIA/mwsGJ50kSmo/s320/IMG_2073.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504689127023618322" /></a><br />Then it was off to look around the Gion district.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSV6i5ayjI/AAAAAAAAAII/X31FEe2Xlo8/s1600/IMG_2074.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSV6i5ayjI/AAAAAAAAAII/X31FEe2Xlo8/s320/IMG_2074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504689477586176562" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSX_2sgd_I/AAAAAAAAAIg/Imptb00Ht0M/s1600/IMG_2085.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSX_2sgd_I/AAAAAAAAAIg/Imptb00Ht0M/s320/IMG_2085.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504691767823333362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSX_smifpI/AAAAAAAAAIY/x-3aLAMOfH8/s1600/IMG_2084.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSX_smifpI/AAAAAAAAAIY/x-3aLAMOfH8/s320/IMG_2084.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504691765113945746" /></a><br />Hawaiian-themed shirts in Japan are always amusing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSWNUephsI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/Oa--Ltoe3MU/s1600/IMG_2083.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSWNUephsI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/Oa--Ltoe3MU/s320/IMG_2083.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504689800133314242" /></a><br />Having passed by the restaurants with their wooden decks overlooking the river, I kind of wanted to go to one but the costs seemed prohibitive. Kanae took me to the only 'cheap' one. Somehow Starbucks had managed to open a store with a traditional Japanese style patio!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSYBJyKaLI/AAAAAAAAAI4/1KyCCZMmIMs/s1600/IMG_2091.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSYBJyKaLI/AAAAAAAAAI4/1KyCCZMmIMs/s320/IMG_2091.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504691790127196338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSYA6w2SoI/AAAAAAAAAIw/A2n10LZ4WDw/s1600/IMG_2090.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSYA6w2SoI/AAAAAAAAAIw/A2n10LZ4WDw/s320/IMG_2090.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504691786095151746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSYARn0tLI/AAAAAAAAAIo/HE_1AKWHbMc/s1600/IMG_2089.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSYARn0tLI/AAAAAAAAAIo/HE_1AKWHbMc/s320/IMG_2089.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504691775051445426" /></a><br />Champagne taste on a beer budget for sure.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSaHHogh-I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/VJgwYxkUAlA/s1600/IMG_2100.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSaHHogh-I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/VJgwYxkUAlA/s320/IMG_2100.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504694091652302818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSaGsF0Y5I/AAAAAAAAAJI/RPLjHnJ8XwI/s1600/IMG_2098.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSaGsF0Y5I/AAAAAAAAAJI/RPLjHnJ8XwI/s320/IMG_2098.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504694084259046290" /></a><br />This sign is important since the reading of the kanji is quite unusual. More info to come later. Sorry.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSaGRubszI/AAAAAAAAAJA/amcu8ekTVtQ/s1600/IMG_2096.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSaGRubszI/AAAAAAAAAJA/amcu8ekTVtQ/s320/IMG_2096.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504694077181637426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbqFhSo8I/AAAAAAAAAJw/HU4mH9rtZ8A/s1600/IMG_2110.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbqFhSo8I/AAAAAAAAAJw/HU4mH9rtZ8A/s320/IMG_2110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504695791892210626" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbpglR_lI/AAAAAAAAAJo/1NEw2qW8eSU/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbpglR_lI/AAAAAAAAAJo/1NEw2qW8eSU/s320/IMG_2109.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504695781976833618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbpHHPfUI/AAAAAAAAAJg/zj7P_hNsMyY/s1600/IMG_2108.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbpHHPfUI/AAAAAAAAAJg/zj7P_hNsMyY/s320/IMG_2108.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504695775139953986" /></a><br />Apparently, there's a story about this tree but I forgot it. I'll look it up and edit this later. Sorry.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbqrhmITI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/v-lk55kdT0c/s1600/IMG_2118.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGSbqrhmITI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/v-lk55kdT0c/s320/IMG_2118.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504695802094035250" /></a>mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-51037509775030174782010-08-12T02:31:00.005-07:002010-08-14T17:19:11.795-07:002010.07.18 Umeda, Tsutenkaku, Taishu Engeki, Kushi katsuWent down to the a massive underground food court underneath Umeda Station. Couldn't decide what to eat so I eventually settled on tonkatsu. Kind of odd that in Japan, tonkatsu (pork) is the main breaded meat while in Hawaii, any kind of katsu is generally chicken unless otherwise specified. Must be one of those minor differences in "Japanese food" (even though 'katsu' is simply the Japanese approximation of the English word 'cutlet'.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS_xY7ifbI/AAAAAAAAAO4/mc4FPWcL0gc/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS_xY7ifbI/AAAAAAAAAO4/mc4FPWcL0gc/s320/IMG_1797.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504735499780259250" /></a><br />Maybe next time I will get a parfait with a slice of chocolate cake on top of the glass?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTAbFKgFFI/AAAAAAAAAPA/l4w1lvKO1sM/s1600/IMG_1801.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTAbFKgFFI/AAAAAAAAAPA/l4w1lvKO1sM/s320/IMG_1801.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504736216028812370" /></a><br /><br />Or a pizza with a fried egg in the middle.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTAbcM3czI/AAAAAAAAAPI/Ch63nwz4P3I/s1600/IMG_1800.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTAbcM3czI/AAAAAAAAAPI/Ch63nwz4P3I/s320/IMG_1800.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504736222212748082" /></a><br /><br />Down to Shinsekai to go up Tsutenkaku!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTBLXYLpoI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/blbQE9VjyO4/s1600/IMG_1804.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTBLXYLpoI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/blbQE9VjyO4/s320/IMG_1804.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504737045551752834" /></a><br />There was a guy there with a pet monkey (that seemed to be painted yellow!) shopping for sneakers or something.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTBLyyFISI/AAAAAAAAAPY/uScEbe4hlA8/s1600/IMG_1809.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTBLyyFISI/AAAAAAAAAPY/uScEbe4hlA8/s320/IMG_1809.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504737052908134690" /></a><br /><br />Pepsi Man action figure and what looks like the follow up product to Mugen Puchi Puchi (Infinite Bubble Wrap), Mugen Peri Peri (Infinite Cardboard Box Opener).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTBvkvAmNI/AAAAAAAAAPg/gAzCHO9sYxQ/s1600/IMG_1812.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTBvkvAmNI/AAAAAAAAAPg/gAzCHO9sYxQ/s320/IMG_1812.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504737667612448978" /></a><br />Ant's eye view of Tsutenkaku.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTCMqpCs8I/AAAAAAAAAPo/YVZHZTQOs80/s1600/IMG_1814.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTCMqpCs8I/AAAAAAAAAPo/YVZHZTQOs80/s320/IMG_1814.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504738167414240194" /></a><br />"How embarrassing! We're wearing the same outfit!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTDLkZ0R2I/AAAAAAAAAPw/H-vhwGKvx4E/s1600/IMG_1817-2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTDLkZ0R2I/AAAAAAAAAPw/H-vhwGKvx4E/s320/IMG_1817-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504739248071526242" /></a><br />Billiken: created in Missouri; revered in Osaka.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTET4_tQlI/AAAAAAAAAP4/R4hVMrIpLSc/s1600/IMG_1853.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTET4_tQlI/AAAAAAAAAP4/R4hVMrIpLSc/s320/IMG_1853.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740490549740114" /></a><br />Tsutenkaku Robo!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTEqeEB3eI/AAAAAAAAAQA/RgyhNWnMWHk/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTEqeEB3eI/AAAAAAAAAQA/RgyhNWnMWHk/s320/IMG_1866.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740878457101794" /></a><br />Taishu engeki: has elements of kabuki, but they actually have women playing women's parts, sometimes. And most of the male actors have hairstyles that make them look like hosts or members of a visual-kei band. Photos/video were prohibited during the play so all of these are from the dance numbers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFv_0j54I/AAAAAAAAAQg/tIchluzhilg/s1600/IMG_1931.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFv_0j54I/AAAAAAAAAQg/tIchluzhilg/s320/IMG_1931.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504742072930002818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFveDK_WI/AAAAAAAAAQY/6ZRU8EcNiZY/s1600/IMG_1920.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFveDK_WI/AAAAAAAAAQY/6ZRU8EcNiZY/s320/IMG_1920.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504742063864479074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFvEDrVrI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/nLJznhyNGq4/s1600/IMG_1917.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFvEDrVrI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/nLJznhyNGq4/s320/IMG_1917.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504742056887277234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFuxeFoEI/AAAAAAAAAQI/h1xte0zFywI/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTFuxeFoEI/AAAAAAAAAQI/h1xte0zFywI/s320/IMG_1908.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504742051897778242" /></a><br />The play was about a man who went blind and was trying to reunite his son with his ex-wife who went off and married a rich man. At first, she rejects the boy, but later agrees to adopt him. The boy decides to stay with his father in the end.<br />More pictures from the closing song/dance numbers. More to come later!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHJu86ORI/AAAAAAAAARA/cTX3b_NsuVk/s1600/IMG_1996.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHJu86ORI/AAAAAAAAARA/cTX3b_NsuVk/s320/IMG_1996.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504743614589843730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHJRHQPSI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/4MPJpWufHCY/s1600/IMG_1979.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHJRHQPSI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/4MPJpWufHCY/s320/IMG_1979.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504743606580165922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHI-HTsRI/AAAAAAAAAQw/UkkX4A-bgdg/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHI-HTsRI/AAAAAAAAAQw/UkkX4A-bgdg/s320/IMG_1971.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504743601480118546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHIna4rDI/AAAAAAAAAQo/RXhNw47mveE/s1600/IMG_1963.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTHIna4rDI/AAAAAAAAAQo/RXhNw47mveE/s320/IMG_1963.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504743595388218418" /></a><br /><br />One of the cool things of taishu engeki was that the performers went outside after the show so the audience could meet them and take pictures. So I did!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGUUa2FAfzI/AAAAAAAAASg/i4SsDyY8zuk/s1600/IMG_2053.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGUUa2FAfzI/AAAAAAAAASg/i4SsDyY8zuk/s320/IMG_2053.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504828570955972402" /></a><br />Had kushi katsu after the show and it's amazing! Basically it's just about anything put on a stick, then breaded and deep fried! No pictures since the owner was reputed to be a bit of a 'ganko Osaka oyaji' or something like that. Maybe later there'll be some pics from google image or something but until then check it out on your own and start planning to go and get some!<br /><br />Went to a bar and had an interesting conversation with a random middle-aged woman. I think I learned a lot about the outlook that unmarried Japanese women have in modern Japan. Not to say one person's opinion represents a majority, but it was eye-opening to realize not everyone is feeling the societal pressure to settle down and have a family.mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-19825599279865377602010-08-12T02:31:00.003-07:002010-08-13T23:33:46.225-07:002010.07.17 Gion Matsuri, Toei EigamuraSad to say, the decision to try wear geta 'straight out of the box' was not a well thought out one. Granted, I wouldn't look right wearing sneakers or running shoes with a jinbei but as soon as I put on the geta, all my bad premonitions seemed to come true.<br /><br />Despite the issue with the geta, what I could see of the Gion Matsuri was fairly impressive. To see such large wooden-wheeled carts the size of buildings being pulled down the street by men was unbelievable, especially when realizing this sort of thing has done on for a thousand years!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6LAaP6jI/AAAAAAAAAN4/_PEJmZk4llU/s1600/IMAG0198.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6LAaP6jI/AAAAAAAAAN4/_PEJmZk4llU/s320/IMAG0198.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504729342805010994" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6Kvb8yVI/AAAAAAAAANw/aX0q8_6U7Ak/s1600/IMAG0197.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6Kvb8yVI/AAAAAAAAANw/aX0q8_6U7Ak/s320/IMAG0197.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504729338248743250" /></a><br />So many people!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6KDAHz0I/AAAAAAAAANo/iiZmKA1hzK4/s1600/IMAG0202.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6KDAHz0I/AAAAAAAAANo/iiZmKA1hzK4/s320/IMAG0202.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504729326320865090" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6Jh1DfFI/AAAAAAAAANg/_OjKSev0WaQ/s1600/IMAG0200.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6Jh1DfFI/AAAAAAAAANg/_OjKSev0WaQ/s320/IMAG0200.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504729317416074322" /></a><br />I don't know what the guys on the roof do but that has to be scary standing on a 3 story tall cart with wooden wheels in the hot sun with no harness or anything.<br /><br />There were also people making ice sculpture replicas of the shrines!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6obz5TAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/mNXQ96gegTM/s1600/IMAG0206.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS6obz5TAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/mNXQ96gegTM/s320/IMAG0206.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504729848376544258" /></a><br />Bought a pair of sandals at the station but, eventually they started hurting my feet even worse since they were hard rubber and had ridges meant to 'massage' the wearer's feet!<br /><br />Since the festival ended early, the next stop was Toei Eigamura to see the ninja show and Kamen Rider/Super Sentai stuff! Due to the Gion Matsuri, all people wearing yukata were given a 50% discount on their tickets. Unfortunately for me, jinbei didn't count.<br /><br />Super Sentai pics:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY4Ifl0tYI/AAAAAAAAATI/V0la81sb9Vg/s1600/IMAG0229.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY4Ifl0tYI/AAAAAAAAATI/V0la81sb9Vg/s320/IMAG0229.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505149313077261698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS7vSIXXTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/ZReAk6x6raQ/s1600/IMAG0223.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS7vSIXXTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/ZReAk6x6raQ/s320/IMAG0223.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504731065548758322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY3Yk9Vp3I/AAAAAAAAAS4/pCcyiRSqBX0/s1600/IMAG0271.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY3Yk9Vp3I/AAAAAAAAAS4/pCcyiRSqBX0/s320/IMAG0271.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505148489884346226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY4IF2cKQI/AAAAAAAAATA/H_gRfScUmd8/s1600/IMAG0234.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY4IF2cKQI/AAAAAAAAATA/H_gRfScUmd8/s320/IMAG0234.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505149306167634178" /></a><br />Kind of makes me want to start watching some tokusatsu! <br /><br />Actually, I just started watching Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and aside from the cheesiness, it isn't bad. I doubt this one will be ruined by Saban because it's too Japanese. Their helmets have kanji on them and their phones turn into calligraphy pens to facilitate transformation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY1gTu5f2I/AAAAAAAAASo/SsvupeWKYxA/s1600/samurai-sentai-shinkenger-01.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY1gTu5f2I/AAAAAAAAASo/SsvupeWKYxA/s320/samurai-sentai-shinkenger-01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505146423676075874" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY1gl6p9QI/AAAAAAAAASw/713qagfzESM/s1600/samurai-sentai-shinkenger-02.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGY1gl6p9QI/AAAAAAAAASw/713qagfzESM/s320/samurai-sentai-shinkenger-02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505146428557227266" /></a><br /><br />Outside the refuge of the air conditioning were several recreations of jidaigeki-like buildings.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8xw8s8XI/AAAAAAAAAOw/LqCVT3sY1Wc/s1600/IMAG0293.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8xw8s8XI/AAAAAAAAAOw/LqCVT3sY1Wc/s320/IMAG0293.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504732207692706162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8xaSaS7I/AAAAAAAAAOo/VK-cw_LlD_o/s1600/IMAG0291.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8xaSaS7I/AAAAAAAAAOo/VK-cw_LlD_o/s320/IMAG0291.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504732201609743282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8w_pUPKI/AAAAAAAAAOg/pKtnQX9DoR8/s1600/IMAG0288.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8w_pUPKI/AAAAAAAAAOg/pKtnQX9DoR8/s320/IMAG0288.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504732194458057890" /></a><br /><br />Looks like a recreation of the Yoshiwara, possibly?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8wRoD2aI/AAAAAAAAAOY/dIkZ272QKnE/s1600/IMAG0279.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGS8wRoD2aI/AAAAAAAAAOY/dIkZ272QKnE/s320/IMAG0279.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504732182104758690" /></a><br />The ninja show was amazing, although I think photo/video was forbidden due to safety reasons. Last thing anyone probably wants to see is someone get hurt due to being blinded by a camera flash.<br /><br />Despite the insistence of the people at the Kyoto visitors office, there was in fact a mikoshi happening at Yasaka Shrine that night according to the taxi driver. Unfortunately for me, my feet had given up at this point and I was forced to retire before getting to see it. All the streets had been blocked off and the sidewalks were packed! At this point I just started walking barefoot down the street near the hills leading up to Kiyomizu-dera until I could flag down a taxi driver to take me to Kyoto Station.<br /><br />Got my Thunderbird tickets but neglected to get a receipt. Hobbled back to the hotel and got off my feet as soon as possible.mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194530815490867399.post-16082019017424334992010-08-12T02:31:00.001-07:002010-08-14T17:29:12.530-07:002010.07.16 Osaka!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZB-vx3ZWI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/X4hrOzVkTGQ/s1600/IMG_1712.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZB-vx3ZWI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/X4hrOzVkTGQ/s320/IMG_1712.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505160140740322658" /></a><br />Caught the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka and as always it's such a pleasure to ride it. No annoying, time consuming check in and security procedures or dealing with traffic, just fast convenient transportation.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZCk0Lju0I/AAAAAAAAAUY/8rjMRKhldhA/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZCk0Lju0I/AAAAAAAAAUY/8rjMRKhldhA/s320/IMG_1715.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505160794756856642" /></a><br />Headed to the Osaka Museum to try escape the heat now that it was no longer rainy.<br /><br />What it must have been like to be in Naniwa (ancient Osaka).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEembnRtI/AAAAAAAAAUo/k5zHutEmfVY/s1600/IMG_1719.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEembnRtI/AAAAAAAAAUo/k5zHutEmfVY/s320/IMG_1719.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505162887010141906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEeS5sgaI/AAAAAAAAAUg/wbAW882l2H4/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEeS5sgaI/AAAAAAAAAUg/wbAW882l2H4/s320/IMG_1718.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505162881767604642" /></a><br />Osaka as the traditional center of trade.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEfbF7VoI/AAAAAAAAAU4/ILAhe2zCHeU/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEfbF7VoI/AAAAAAAAAU4/ILAhe2zCHeU/s320/IMG_1735.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505162901146261122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEfDqoakI/AAAAAAAAAUw/TU8UQG4Ge9Y/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZEfDqoakI/AAAAAAAAAUw/TU8UQG4Ge9Y/s320/IMG_1730.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505162894857759298" /></a><br /><br />Nice Boat!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZFumsGq6I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/3vcHiC2Swas/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZFumsGq6I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/3vcHiC2Swas/s320/IMG_1755.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505164261468842914" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZFuQnsNkI/AAAAAAAAAVI/lF4sm1KAB6Y/s1600/IMG_1750.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZFuQnsNkI/AAAAAAAAAVI/lF4sm1KAB6Y/s320/IMG_1750.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505164255544751682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZFt7EgFxI/AAAAAAAAAVA/u3cJtnWQKcw/s1600/IMG_1741.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZFt7EgFxI/AAAAAAAAAVA/u3cJtnWQKcw/s320/IMG_1741.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505164249760012050" /></a><br /><br />Cool retro lamp and clock!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZGm-hQ08I/AAAAAAAAAVY/6FM4M736Yh8/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZGm-hQ08I/AAAAAAAAAVY/6FM4M736Yh8/s320/IMG_1757.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505165229938496450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZGncKzBxI/AAAAAAAAAVg/_SGKXId33jM/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZGncKzBxI/AAAAAAAAAVg/_SGKXId33jM/s320/IMG_1758.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505165237897332498" /></a><br /><br />Unusual clay dolls.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZH9RVEGkI/AAAAAAAAAV4/Nc1gJ5Zj2nQ/s1600/IMG_1764.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZH9RVEGkI/AAAAAAAAAV4/Nc1gJ5Zj2nQ/s320/IMG_1764.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505166712456354370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZH84CvawI/AAAAAAAAAVw/QIOwLTqbU8I/s1600/IMG_1763.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZH84CvawI/AAAAAAAAAVw/QIOwLTqbU8I/s320/IMG_1763.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505166705668614914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZH8gjpOgI/AAAAAAAAAVo/RpWqmMvnjnM/s1600/IMG_1762.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZH8gjpOgI/AAAAAAAAAVo/RpWqmMvnjnM/s320/IMG_1762.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505166699364170242" /></a><br /><br />After all that looking at historical stuff it was time to eat!<br /><br />As it holds true everywhere, the best food can usually be found in some 'hole in the wall' restaurant. Today's example was Chigusa, located in the middle of Tenjinbashi, the longest covered shopping area in Japan (2.6km long!).<br /><br />Tenjinbashi<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTL9H1gCnI/AAAAAAAAASQ/NXCkGTGJLic/s1600/IMG_1791.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTL9H1gCnI/AAAAAAAAASQ/NXCkGTGJLic/s320/IMG_1791.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504748895489493618" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTL9ReNJkI/AAAAAAAAASY/Bh_g1hkHq8E/s1600/IMG_1790.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTL9ReNJkI/AAAAAAAAASY/Bh_g1hkHq8E/s320/IMG_1790.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504748898076141122" /></a><br /><br />Chigusa menu <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTLWo_LHUI/AAAAAAAAASA/DOPqWALGbcg/s1600/IMG_1787.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTLWo_LHUI/AAAAAAAAASA/DOPqWALGbcg/s320/IMG_1787.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504748234373537090" /></a><br />Their specialty, the chigusayaki, is like a regular okonomiyaki but with a pork fillet cooked in the middle.<br /><br />Step 1: pour batter on teppan, add pork and more batter<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKMInvX4I/AAAAAAAAARI/bNpofHbEBKI/s1600/IMG_1774.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKMInvX4I/AAAAAAAAARI/bNpofHbEBKI/s320/IMG_1774.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504746954374995842" /></a><br /><br />(Optional): cook yakisoba on the teppan at the same time, in between the okonomiyaki to save time and energy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKMjqz3qI/AAAAAAAAARQ/d8PFDgsAh3o/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKMjqz3qI/AAAAAAAAARQ/d8PFDgsAh3o/s320/IMG_1776.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504746961635630754" /></a><br /><br />Step 2: once fully cooked, add mayonnaise.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKNJKpsgI/AAAAAAAAARY/ePAXyZnKB2Y/s1600/IMG_1777.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKNJKpsgI/AAAAAAAAARY/ePAXyZnKB2Y/s320/IMG_1777.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504746971701293570" /></a><br /><br />Step 3: add ketchup.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKNXKsg9I/AAAAAAAAARg/4o6g0qwKfRM/s1600/IMG_1778.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKNXKsg9I/AAAAAAAAARg/4o6g0qwKfRM/s320/IMG_1778.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504746975459574738" /></a><br /><br />Step 4: add mustard.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKOF6H2WI/AAAAAAAAARo/X-TuZQq9XxE/s1600/IMG_1779.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTKOF6H2WI/AAAAAAAAARo/X-TuZQq9XxE/s320/IMG_1779.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504746988006529378" /></a><br /><br />Step 5: brush on okonomiyaki sauce and swirl together!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTK0u5rn_I/AAAAAAAAARw/0Ti2Atp6XPM/s1600/IMG_1780.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTK0u5rn_I/AAAAAAAAARw/0Ti2Atp6XPM/s320/IMG_1780.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504747651845562354" /></a><br /><br />Step 6: sprinkle on sesame seeds (?) to kick it up a notch and it's done!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTLDfa5ndI/AAAAAAAAAR4/toEqIltwyNQ/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGTLDfa5ndI/AAAAAAAAAR4/toEqIltwyNQ/s320/IMG_1784.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504747905387961810" /></a><br /><br />If you're still hungry, then you can order a regular okonomiyaki too!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZBPJwNJwI/AAAAAAAAAUI/6FXE0llsOqk/s1600/IMG_1786.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZBPJwNJwI/AAAAAAAAAUI/6FXE0llsOqk/s320/IMG_1786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505159323078960898" /></a><br />If you can find Chigusa, then go there. If you don't eat pork or shrimp then I feel sorry for you and your taste buds.<br /><br />Dinner was somewhere in Dotonburi. I must have forgotten to take lots of pictures or something because I do not recall specific details.<br /><br />Donki with a ferris wheel on it (that I didn't go to) and the iconic Glico sign near Dotonburi.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZJMKbU3dI/AAAAAAAAAWI/i9IPE80kBX4/s1600/IMAG0190.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZJMKbU3dI/AAAAAAAAAWI/i9IPE80kBX4/s320/IMAG0190.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505168067813236178" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZJLlhoTYI/AAAAAAAAAWA/ojvFB640xWs/s1600/IMAG0188.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZJLlhoTYI/AAAAAAAAAWA/ojvFB640xWs/s320/IMAG0188.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505168057907563906" /></a><br /><br />I think I ate this that night. I hope so, because it looks good!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZJMeSu2EI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/Ct4hPL1D5z0/s1600/IMAG0193.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ehDl5Buat6E/TGZJMeSu2EI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/Ct4hPL1D5z0/s320/IMAG0193.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505168073145899074" /></a><br /><br />I do recall this song being stuck in my head for some time after.<br />Pink Lady -UFO<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mN9eBIafCNY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mN9eBIafCNY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />This might not be the classic version of the song.<br /><br />Met some fascinating people that I hope I get to meet again someday. Osaka people are pretty cool!mixedmediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271279917932604494noreply@blogger.com0