tokyo time
Instead of taking the weekend off before my big trip to Thailand, I decided to join the crazies for a trip down to Tokyo. After work we all caught the bus down to Tokyo together and kind of went our separate ways for the night. The main reason the girls went to Tokyo is because they are organizing at scavenger hunt in Tokyo and it is still a work in progress. Meanwhile I took the night off to visit the gay district in Tokyo, also known as Nichome, to get a couple drinks before meeting up later with the girls. We spent the night at their friends place near Roppongi.
The crazies got up at the crack of dawn to start working on the hunt and I spent another hour sleeping before waking up to start my day. It was interesting being a house where I didn't actually know anyone and had to introduce myself as the guy who spent the previous night on their couch. But after some quick introductions we were soon having pancakes and spam for breakfast while watching the TV show 24 on DVD. They are really great people, which I knew they would be since they are good friends with the crazies. Then it was off to hang out with Asuka, my homestay, and Dondon, another friend from my studies in Tokyo. We met up in Harajuku, which I had actually never been to, only to find out that the nearby Yoyogi Park was holding Earth Day. We walked through the park and grabbed a quick bite at one of the food stands before wandering throughout the festival. Soon Dondon and Asuka had other plans and I was meeting the rest of the gang so we went our separate ways. After a little confusion we all ended up back in Yoyogi Park for more Earth Day.
We all headed back to Christy, John, and Ethan's place to take a nap and get ready for Christy's birthday party later on in the night. It took quite a bit of time to get going but eventually I left with John and Ethan to hit up the party at a place called the Havana Club in Roppongi. There was some good food and more than enough to drink while we played birthday games the whole time we were there. I almost won a strange version of musical chairs but ended up losing in the last round. From there Michelle had a little accident with her beer glass and we both ended up looking like we had peed our pants, it was actually pretty amusing. After that we actually headed clubbing. First it was to Shibuya where there was no actually street signs for the club and the place was in a dark basement. Despite all that it was pretty fun but before long some people were headed home while a few of us decided to truck on. For those who continued, we headed back to Roppongi for some late night ramen at a place where you got to decide how your ramen was made via a checklist. It was a nice pit stop before the next club, called Vanilla, which was huge and packed with people. Sadly I was in a pretty bad mood by the end of the night, for no real good reason other than my foot hurt, and we all know how I am when I am crabby... We danced and drank water and were amazed at how different clubs are when you are sober. At around five in the morning we caught a taxi back and crashed hard.
The next morning we were up after a few hours of sleep to get ready and pack up for Niigata. I was meeting Asuka, Natsumi, and Shiori for lunch near their apartment while the crazies were doing some last minute scavenger hunt things so we had to get out of there at a decent time. After showing up a little late, we headed to an okonomiyaki (meat and vegetable pancakes) and later got some delicious gelato. Then I had to meet the crazies in Ikebukuro to catch the bus back to Niigata and end another chaotic weekend. One of these days I will slow down but I don't think it will be anytime soon.
flower power
Late last week I took the opportunity to see the sakura (cherry blossoms) in Sanjo at Osakiyama Park with Kristi. We had been toying with the idea earlier in the week and decided about an hour before hand to go for it. Sadly I had been delayed at work so it had started to get dark by the time I arrived. However it was still amazing to be surrounded by so many cherry blossoms and add the mountaintop view to make for a gorgeous evening. I never knew Sanjo, apparently the industrial center of Niigata, could be so beautiful. After about an hour of wandering and taking it all in we headed back in for dinner at Pizza Hut. Little did we know that Nuria and Sarah were also there so the four of us grabbed some greasy pizza. After which, with little debate, we headed to the brand new Baskin Robbins in nearby Tsubame. It was nice to get in both my Japanese and American cravings before heading out again for the weekend.
going down south
Just when I thought it was starting to get warm in Niigata it was time for me to pay a visit to my college friends in Okinawa. Tom, Aaron and I all studied abroad in Tokyo and took a few Japanese classes together. Lindsey, who I also saw in Osaka a couple weeks ago, and I played intramural volleyball together all through college. Needless to say I know these people pretty well and it was amazing to see them again!
I started off my journey on the night bus to Tokyo. Same things applied to this night bus that I stated about the Osaka one but the Tokyo bus was around four hours instead of eight. Arrival in Ikebukuro was around four in the morning so I had some time to bum around Ueno park, trying with little success to see sakura (cherry blossoms) again, before heading to Haneda Airport for the first time. When the plane finally began its decent into Naha I couldn't believe how similar the landscape was to Hawaii. I think Hawaii is a little bit more developed and Okinawa is slightly more run down but overall there is a definite feel of deja vu.
Thankfully Lindsey met me at the airport to bring me back to the school they all teach at, Okisho Junior High School, to see Tom and Aaron. Admittedly I was pretty gross from the bus and airplane rides but we grabbed chanpuru (stir fry) for lunch together and caught up a bit before I headed to their apartment building. After the short walk behind the school I was there was able to freshen up before meeting up with a Japanese friend, Tomotaka, while they were all at work. A couple summers ago I was a counselor for English immersion camp for students from Okinawa and that is where I met Tomotaka, who was actually in the other group. I got to do some of the typical tourist things with him such as see the Tsuboya pottery area and Shuri castle. The pottery village was great to see because of my obvious connections to ceramics. Recently Japan has begun minting a 2000 yen note and the picture is of a gate at Shuri castle. It was nice to have the tour guide, despite the fact that he hadn't been to either place.
Later that night Tom, Aaron, Lindsey, and I meet up with some of their friends for dinner at a restaurant called Sam's by the Sea, which is apparently a chain from Hawaii. It had a surf and turf style menu, the waiters were dressed as sailors, and we were even given escargot as an appetizer. Afterwards we headed back to Kokusai Dori (one of the main streets in Naha) to hit up Paul and Mikes place which is the local gaijin (foreigner) bar. Once a few more drinks were down the hatch, Tom, Aaron and I decided to head to a bar called Stereo. That place was a small bar that had a huge collection of music on records and in a computer. Customers got to request anything they wanted and the bartender played it. We were going to go dancing, which Aaron and Lindsey eventually did, but I hurt my foot earlier in the day so I wasn't feeling up to it. Tom and I had a few more drinks before heading back to crash. The three of them had work the next morning.
Managing to get up at a decent hour I headed on a short walk for hungover breakfast at McDonald's before the four of us and a few others headed to the northern part of the island. Around noon we headed for Nago to meet up with a group of young adults who were studying English. After a couple hours of driving we stopped for lunch at an A&W, where the rootbeer flowed, and then we stopped at the Orion brewery, where the real beer flowed. The brewery was pretty fun but Aaron, Tom and I had been to the Asahi Brewery in Kanagawa so we already had an idea of how beer was made. None the less we got some free beer and I raided the souvenir shop. By the time we finished up it was time to check into the hostel we were staying and get some free food at the group barbecue. There was a bit of socializing with the Japanese and plenty of food to go around. We wanted to go out drinking as soon as possible since there was an enforced curfew but ended up having to wait around for someone that could drive us. In the end we got to sing some karaoke for a couple hours before buying some beer to bring back to our room and drink until we passed out.
The next day we were awoken by this really odd and quite annoying music being played over the intercom. It seemed more like a prison than a hostel but we quickly grabbed some lunch before hitting the road once again. Our first stop was the pineapple winery. Like any other small tropical island, Okinawa grows pineapple and makes just about anything you can think of made from it. We drank some wine and at way too much pineapple flavored things before leaving. A little bit further up the road and we started to hit the beaches. It was a pretty windy day so we didn't lay out but it was still nice to feel the sand between our toes. After visiting a couple beaches, it was off to a quaint restaurant at the top of a mountain. It is actually really famous and was packed. The only thing you could order was drinks and pizza but it was damn good and well worth the narrow trek.
We decided to head back and get some rest before heading out one last time Sunday night. Upon our return, we all headed out to do some shopping and eat Okinawa soba for dinner. When we got back to their apartment we took some time to sit and relax before going out. By the time it came around to going out Lindsey wasn't feeling well so it was just a boys night out. Beforehand we had collectively decided to make it a low key night with just a couple drinks to keep it relaxing and inexpensive. Just around the corner there was a bar named, ironically enough, Zero Style. Of course, the night took a turn for chaos when we started playing batsu games (loser has to do something). Not long after we had all kissed practically everyone in the bar, involved the bartender in our craziness, and taken plenty shots of liquor that I have never heard of or want to take again. I don't even know what time we crashed.
The next day we all woke up drunk but I was determined to get to the market one last time to get some last minute shopping done. Using the map and landmarks from Friday I managed to find my way pretty easily and managed to buy everything I had wanted. Just before I was about to leave I ran into a cool little art shop. The drawings intrigued me and the owner actually stopped making keitai (cell phone) accessories in order to talk to me a bit. It was a proud Japanese moment and we actually had a short but nice conversation before I purchased a drawing from him of a shisa (an Okinawan guardian dog). Then it was back to the apartment so Lindsey could take me back to the airport, I was glad my friends could just leave work to help me out. A part of me didn't want to leave my friends and that reaffirmed a lot of why I am leaving in July despite all the fun traveling I have been doing... I miss the people I care about.
psuedo sakura
With the weather not cooperating in Niigata, as usual, the actual hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in Joetsu was postponed and sadly it is starting to look like I won't get to see them while I am here. Let's just say that my schedule is not getting any easier from here on out. Plus the places I am going will have already had hanami but I am hoping to still catch something somewhere. Anyway, just because the official party was canceled didn't mean that the core crazies wouldn't still party! Sure enough Jamie, Megan, Michelle, and I made the trek down to Joetsu via Kashiwazaki.
After getting slightly lost on the way down we had some beer and snacks at Tiffany's abode before beginning the night. First we headed to a cozy new bar, because the Joetsu girls knew the owner, for a quick drink. This place was straight out of an American family room and was complete with leather couch, coffee table, and fooseball. Then it was off to a local izakaiya that not only had a great nomihodai (all you can drink) and food set but karaoke as well! We definitely spent a few hours in there drinking mini kegs of beer and ordering 24 kiwi sours while eating and singing amongst Japanese military and slaves of Nova. After it was time to dance and we headed to a club, also called Nova ironically enough, for a strange mix of our group and Japanese men. It was mostly the foreigners hogging the floor but we definitely had a good time all by ourselves. This marked the second weekend in a row of going dancing and it has been a blast!
The next day we were awoken by Carrie calling us wanting to eat and in about ten minutes we were out the door. It was decided that we were eating at a place called Cannery Row for lunch. This Italian restaurant had a salad bar that absolutely amazing and we all had more than our fill of it to go along with our pizzas. After four hours of sitting, eating, talking and having a dance party in the parking lot... that's right four hours worth and it was almost time for dinner by the time we left. We departed company for Kashiwazaki and once we got there I decided to stay with Jamie to eat my pizza and talk. A few hours later it was time to head back to Sanjo but the crazies never miss a beat in this country!
puppet dance
In the hopes of jumping right into Spring, I headed down to Osaka so I could see the things I missed the first time around. This time I took the overnight bus from Sanjo to Osaka and let's just say that the seats are not made for people that are six feet tall. I did manage to get a little bit of sleep before arriving in Osaka at seven in the morning on Friday. Luckily I was crashing at Blaine's apartment and new my way around enough to get myself at least the right train stop before having to call. We took a quick nap before connecting up with my good friend from college, Lindsey West, and her friend from Okinawa, Dave. In true foreigner form we all had Subway for lunch and it was amazing.
It turns out that there was a famous park just outside Osaka, called Minou, that was supposed to be beautiful so we headed there. After a quick train ride we arrived at Minou and began the long walk to the waterfall at the end of the red brick trail. It was a very peaceful and scenic walk although there were sadly no sakura (cherry blossoms) out for us to see in full bloom. We reached the waterfall and proceeded to act ridiculous while having a good time. The sun was beginning to set so we decided to head back into Osaka for dinner.
We actually ended up eating at the same Mexican restaurant that we ate at last time I was in Osaka but that was fine because they have really good food. Afterwards it was time for the 500 yen martini bar. Cheap good martinis are hard to come by and we definitely had our fair share. Somehow by the end of the night I had got a lap dance by Lindsey, engaged to Blaine, and hit on by a Japanese man. I don't even know what time it was when we finished but we crashed hard when it was all said and done.
The next day Blaine had to work early while Lindsey and I had the day all to ourselves. Needless to say Lindsey's encounter with Jose Cuervo the night before wasn't making her feel too great but we explored anyway. First on our list was bunraku (Japanese puppets) and luckily they gave us earphones that played an English translation for each of the three plays. It was an amazing cultural experience and one of the things that I really wanted to see. One thing that differs about these puppets is that there are three puppeteers operating each main half life sized puppet. The stage is sunken so that the audience cannot see the puppeteers legs. However the rest of them is seen throughout the whole play but somehow you don't even notice them after a while. When the play was finished Lindsey and I did more exploring but mostly eating. We had takoyaki (battered octopus balls), blowfish sushi which can actually kill you with its poison if cut incorrectly, and ice cream. Also, we went to Amerikamura which is an area devoted to American pop culture. It was interesting but mostly full of shopping. I did however eat a McDonald's hamburger in front of a big clown, and his name wasn't Ronald.
After a long day and not much sleep the night before we met up with Blaine and all headed to his apartment for a "quick" nap. And by quick nap I meant 3 hours worth of laying there. However we did need as much energy as we could manage because we were headed to a place called pure for some all night dancing and drinking. We managed to have some gyudon (sauteed beef and onions atop a bed of rice) before enjoying the free drinks at pure. The place only played hip hop music but it was still worth it to get some dancing out of my system since there really aren't any clubs to speak of in Niigata. We finally called it a night at around 5 in the morning and caught some stand up ramen before returning to Blaine's apartment to crash.
The next morning Lindsey and Dave had to leave for Kyoto in the early afternoon so I said my sleepy goodbye before crashing again. A little bit later Blaine and I woke up and Blaine made a late breakfast for us. There wasn't a lot of time left in the day before I had to leave and the weather wasn't really cooperating so we were pretty slow to get out of his place. Later we did some wandering around Amerikamura before eating at a random restaurant in the HEP5 building. It was some great Italian food and by the time we were finished it was time for me to leave on the bus back to Sanjo. Another crazy fun weekend in Osaka. The only thing I didn't do while I was there was go to Osaka castle but I already saw the best castle in Japan last time so I'll live.
