And it's all going to be here http://wadebeger.deviantart.com/
I'll start to upload more of my stuff from now on, so fav this link too.
I'm normally very lazy when it comes to editing photos - Hopefully this will encourage me to edit quicker :)
-Wade
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Friday, August 05, 2005
Quick congrats
Just came back from the city where my good friends in the band "Moshi Mosh" played their first gig at the Jade Monkey in Adelaide. Unfortunately technical difficulties hindered some of the night, but that's something you get on your first night I suppose.
I took a few photos here and there, which I'll post up here when they're done.
- (Taken with 20D, generally 50mm 1.8 @ 800/1600 ISO, generally 1/80 and f/4ish)
Congratulations guys, and I hope things only get better :)
Wade
I took a few photos here and there, which I'll post up here when they're done.
- (Taken with 20D, generally 50mm 1.8 @ 800/1600 ISO, generally 1/80 and f/4ish)
Congratulations guys, and I hope things only get better :)
Wade
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
An espresso a day..
I like coffee.
However I don't own an espresso machine.
Which is somewhat of a lie, because I have 2 in my backyard. But they are there for a reason.
You see, they have a tendency to attempt to kill me by electrocution. As you can see, they have yet to succeed, but I have also now taken heed of their violent tendencies and removed them from my kitchen.
So for a while now I've been looking for a machine that I can buy when I have money, and I think I have found just the machine.
The Rancilio Sylvia with a Mazzer Mini grinder to go with it. This is my need to reach a state of espresso filled euphoria.
At the moment, I drink an instant coffee mix; namely 'International Roast' - What do others drink? Or what machine do you use?
Wade
However I don't own an espresso machine.
Which is somewhat of a lie, because I have 2 in my backyard. But they are there for a reason.
You see, they have a tendency to attempt to kill me by electrocution. As you can see, they have yet to succeed, but I have also now taken heed of their violent tendencies and removed them from my kitchen.
So for a while now I've been looking for a machine that I can buy when I have money, and I think I have found just the machine.
The Rancilio Sylvia with a Mazzer Mini grinder to go with it. This is my need to reach a state of espresso filled euphoria.
At the moment, I drink an instant coffee mix; namely 'International Roast' - What do others drink? Or what machine do you use?
Wade
I like my coffee 'hot'
Indeed everyone likes to have their coffee served rather hot, however Rockstar may well have turned the temperature up a little too high for comfort.
I'm sure by now everyone has heard of the predicament R* has gotten themselves into with their little 'sex-mini game' being found out not only in their PC version, but also now the Playstation 2 version of the game GTA : San Andreas.
R*'s defense is that the code should never have been seen by the public as it was not part of the game, however was left in there due to time restraints. Unfortunately for them the code has found its way into use, and shits hit the fan.
Pretty silly for Rockstar, but people are starting to overreact slightly. It is just a little game for fun anyway. The original rating for the game was set at 17+, with its new rating in America being 18+. I may be wrong, but I don't believe the maturity level changes that rapidly as such that a 17 year old is unable to witness such 'disturbing scenes of graphic sex' and then bang, at 18 the same person is able to enjoy such a game.
Please keep in mind however that stealing cars, viciously murdering people and other violent acts are fine.
--
On other coffee related news, McDonalds ran into litigations over some seriously hot coffee back in 1994 it seems.
http://www.vanfirm.com/mcdonalds-coffee-lawsuit.htm
It seems everything is quoted as fahrenheit in that article btw. I'm fairly sure a coffee shouldn't be made at too hot a temperature otherwise you also run the risk of burning the beans.
I know milk should be frothed at about 65C, but I forget what the coffee should be at O_o
Wade
I'm sure by now everyone has heard of the predicament R* has gotten themselves into with their little 'sex-mini game' being found out not only in their PC version, but also now the Playstation 2 version of the game GTA : San Andreas.
R*'s defense is that the code should never have been seen by the public as it was not part of the game, however was left in there due to time restraints. Unfortunately for them the code has found its way into use, and shits hit the fan.
Pretty silly for Rockstar, but people are starting to overreact slightly. It is just a little game for fun anyway. The original rating for the game was set at 17+, with its new rating in America being 18+. I may be wrong, but I don't believe the maturity level changes that rapidly as such that a 17 year old is unable to witness such 'disturbing scenes of graphic sex' and then bang, at 18 the same person is able to enjoy such a game.
Please keep in mind however that stealing cars, viciously murdering people and other violent acts are fine.
--
On other coffee related news, McDonalds ran into litigations over some seriously hot coffee back in 1994 it seems.
http://www.vanfirm.com/mcdonalds-coffee-lawsuit.htm
It seems everything is quoted as fahrenheit in that article btw. I'm fairly sure a coffee shouldn't be made at too hot a temperature otherwise you also run the risk of burning the beans.
I know milk should be frothed at about 65C, but I forget what the coffee should be at O_o
Wade
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Coming back online soon :D
Within a few days, I shall be back with vengeance updating daily on happenings in the world of Wade Beger :D
We live in exciting times.
Wade
We live in exciting times.
Wade
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Seoul Searching..
Sorry for the lack of updates, but moving out to my own place in Japan next month. Will update much more when Im out. I do apologize to my 3 readers.
As you may or may not be able to guess from the heading, Im in Korea atm, actually I just got here like at 2pm, so havnt been here long. Im a very lazy man, so Im just going to copy and paste an E-Mail I sent to Sachiko just then (well, most of it).
"I arrived here OK, and Im using the PC in the hostel Im staying at.I was a bit late getting through customs and the like, but eventually I met Jiyeon out in arrivals.It was very very strange being able to meet someone that I had only ever talked to on MSN and over the phone for nearly 3 years! With saying that however, it felt like we had already met (which we had in a way of course) but at the same time rather strange. Great though.
We took a bus from Incheon Airport to someplace in Incehon downtown area - It took just over an hour. Her Mum was with us too btw, but she just kept going on the bus. She seemed really nice!
Incheon Airport is like Narita to the fact that its also in the country. Korean country side looks very different to Japanese though - Hard to describe. On the way to downtown I even saw little house things that I see in games that people hide and and shoot machine guns though! Talk about security. Must be for older times.
In downtown I met my other friend Lucy whom Ive known for many years also - Very strange again, but great at the same time. We had pizza at Pizza hut together. For 1 normal size pizza, lasange, salad bar and a drink cost about 40,000 won I think, so about 4000 yen.
I have a shit load of money btw. Because I was running late, and I couldnt find Jiyeon, I changed 1000 yen into won at the airport for a phone call. I was suprised to get like 8 bills and 10 coins.And now with the money from Jiyeon, I have about 340,000 won, which amounts to about 40 notes in my wallet. Looks like Im rich, but its the equivalent of only 4 japanese/aussie notes.
Most things seem to be alot cheaper here. A drink out of a machine is only 400 won I think (40ish yen). Theres an amazing amount of street vendors too, most of them with a very basic setup consisting of a few tarps thrown over a pole. They sell things from vegetables to ready to eat little food stalls with like 2 chairs, shoes anything really. Some are really really basic where you have a very old lady on the floor of a busy street with some vegetables on pieces of cardboard in front of her. Cool though.
Anyway, after having something to eat, we took the subway to Seoul to my guesthouse. Its about 6 stations away from Seoul Station, and took about 1:20 from where we had lunch. Oh yeah! Btw they did give me a normal lunch on the place - ie rice with fish, cake thing, sushi, drinks etc. Pretty good.
The gueshouse is about 10 mins walk from station (probably less even because we didnt know where it was). I was surpised when I got into my room and realized its actually a pretty new place. I have a decent sized room with a futon, my own TV and fridge and heating. Oh and what heating it is.I should mention that the heater levels in Korea are very high. Even in Pizza Hut in just a tshirt I was sweating but my friends seemed fine in their jumpers. And in my room its very hot even, but nothing I can do I suppose.
Lots of rooms here too, with shared shower and toilet. I cant seem to find the toilet paper though.. hmmm. It seems in Korea they dont like to simple put a toilet roll next to the toilet. Oh and here they dont seem to flush their paper down the toilet, and they just put used toilet paper in a bin beside the toilet.No towels either so Im fucked. When I have finished writing I will go and try and buy a towel, but Im not exactly sure what towel merchants will be open at midnight in Seoul. Oh well.
Apparently breakfast is supplied too. They have a Internet PC here (which is what Im on now), washing machines, full kitchen etc. Everything is very new -I like it. Seems pretty secure too with pin operated front door etc.
Lucy and Jiyeon stayed with me in my room for a while and we had a chat, but they had to go home a while ago because of homework they have to get ready before tomorrow. We will meet up down the street at 6:30pm tomorrow after Uni, so I have time to play around for a bit. I noticed a small arcade up the street, so I may have a wander soon. Mind you, both of them advised strictly against going out after dark. I was under the impression that Seoul was a pretty safe place, or so I had read on the net. After they had gone, I asked the manager and he said it should be fine walking at night around here, so I might just got for a small walk."
Any mistakes, please ignore them. Also, I cant find the apostrophe key (I dont think I spelled that right), so sorry about that.
Anyway, really really tired, so Im going to go. I really want to have a shower but no towel.
And I should ask where they have hidden the toilet paper.
Goodnight!
Wade
As you may or may not be able to guess from the heading, Im in Korea atm, actually I just got here like at 2pm, so havnt been here long. Im a very lazy man, so Im just going to copy and paste an E-Mail I sent to Sachiko just then (well, most of it).
"I arrived here OK, and Im using the PC in the hostel Im staying at.I was a bit late getting through customs and the like, but eventually I met Jiyeon out in arrivals.It was very very strange being able to meet someone that I had only ever talked to on MSN and over the phone for nearly 3 years! With saying that however, it felt like we had already met (which we had in a way of course) but at the same time rather strange. Great though.
We took a bus from Incheon Airport to someplace in Incehon downtown area - It took just over an hour. Her Mum was with us too btw, but she just kept going on the bus. She seemed really nice!
Incheon Airport is like Narita to the fact that its also in the country. Korean country side looks very different to Japanese though - Hard to describe. On the way to downtown I even saw little house things that I see in games that people hide and and shoot machine guns though! Talk about security. Must be for older times.
In downtown I met my other friend Lucy whom Ive known for many years also - Very strange again, but great at the same time. We had pizza at Pizza hut together. For 1 normal size pizza, lasange, salad bar and a drink cost about 40,000 won I think, so about 4000 yen.
I have a shit load of money btw. Because I was running late, and I couldnt find Jiyeon, I changed 1000 yen into won at the airport for a phone call. I was suprised to get like 8 bills and 10 coins.And now with the money from Jiyeon, I have about 340,000 won, which amounts to about 40 notes in my wallet. Looks like Im rich, but its the equivalent of only 4 japanese/aussie notes.
Most things seem to be alot cheaper here. A drink out of a machine is only 400 won I think (40ish yen). Theres an amazing amount of street vendors too, most of them with a very basic setup consisting of a few tarps thrown over a pole. They sell things from vegetables to ready to eat little food stalls with like 2 chairs, shoes anything really. Some are really really basic where you have a very old lady on the floor of a busy street with some vegetables on pieces of cardboard in front of her. Cool though.
Anyway, after having something to eat, we took the subway to Seoul to my guesthouse. Its about 6 stations away from Seoul Station, and took about 1:20 from where we had lunch. Oh yeah! Btw they did give me a normal lunch on the place - ie rice with fish, cake thing, sushi, drinks etc. Pretty good.
The gueshouse is about 10 mins walk from station (probably less even because we didnt know where it was). I was surpised when I got into my room and realized its actually a pretty new place. I have a decent sized room with a futon, my own TV and fridge and heating. Oh and what heating it is.I should mention that the heater levels in Korea are very high. Even in Pizza Hut in just a tshirt I was sweating but my friends seemed fine in their jumpers. And in my room its very hot even, but nothing I can do I suppose.
Lots of rooms here too, with shared shower and toilet. I cant seem to find the toilet paper though.. hmmm. It seems in Korea they dont like to simple put a toilet roll next to the toilet. Oh and here they dont seem to flush their paper down the toilet, and they just put used toilet paper in a bin beside the toilet.No towels either so Im fucked. When I have finished writing I will go and try and buy a towel, but Im not exactly sure what towel merchants will be open at midnight in Seoul. Oh well.
Apparently breakfast is supplied too. They have a Internet PC here (which is what Im on now), washing machines, full kitchen etc. Everything is very new -I like it. Seems pretty secure too with pin operated front door etc.
Lucy and Jiyeon stayed with me in my room for a while and we had a chat, but they had to go home a while ago because of homework they have to get ready before tomorrow. We will meet up down the street at 6:30pm tomorrow after Uni, so I have time to play around for a bit. I noticed a small arcade up the street, so I may have a wander soon. Mind you, both of them advised strictly against going out after dark. I was under the impression that Seoul was a pretty safe place, or so I had read on the net. After they had gone, I asked the manager and he said it should be fine walking at night around here, so I might just got for a small walk."
Any mistakes, please ignore them. Also, I cant find the apostrophe key (I dont think I spelled that right), so sorry about that.
Anyway, really really tired, so Im going to go. I really want to have a shower but no towel.
And I should ask where they have hidden the toilet paper.
Goodnight!
Wade
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
There was an Earthquake!
Yes, you read write. There was indeed an earthquake.
First time for me to be in an earthquake - Quite an experience.
Japan is unfortunately prone to earthquakes, and they normally occur every couple of months. The earthquake this morning ranged from 3 - 4 depending on the area. Luckily enough, Sachiko believes it was only a 2 that we felt.
Looking back on what happened, Sachiko and I were just lying down on my bed together chatting, when suddenly the house began to shake. Sachiko immediately said "Earthquake!", and we both just sat still. It only lasted a few seconds, but to me it felt quite strong - Quite scary for the moments it was rumbling. Nothing actually fell off of anything, but there was a loud concrete moving sound and the house rumbled around, moving left and right slightly.
As soon as it stopped, she turned on the TV. Within 10 seconds the little warning beeps on the TV went off, and subtitles on the top of the current program (the news) told that an earthquake just occurred, detailing where and what each magnitude was.
Before I felt how strong this little one was, I couldn't imagine how strong a 6 or 7 would be. Now I worry about a 4 let alone a 6/7 etc!
A very new experience to me, and I'm glad that I was able to see what it's like, however scary.
Not thinking about earthquakes, Sachiko and I have decided to take a holiday from our 'holiday' by getting away from the house and going to Kyoto. We brought the tickets today, leaving 6:30am tomorrow morning at Tokyo station via Hikari Super Express Shinkansen (Bullet Train). It will be the first time for me on a shinkansen! So exciting.
We're staying for 2 nights, in a hotel quite close to the station (3 mins walk). I'll be posting up a lot of photos as soon as I get back ^^ The trip is costing about 28,000 each including train trip and accommodation.
In celebration of my trip to Kyoto tomorrow, I brought a tripod today! Whee.
I brought a Slik 500EX Pro. It set me back about 18,000 after I used up all my points. (Yodobashi has a point's card, where for every purchase, you get 10% worth of points. Ie, if you purchase something for 10000 yen, you get 1000 points. Each point is worth 1 yen, so you will get 1000 yen off your next purchase. Or you can choose to save up your points and buy something bigger later.)
It seems that tripods are a bit more expensive in Japan than in the US or Aust. I suppose due to importing and such, but I wasn't able to argue a better price anyway. Fantastic tripod though.
This photo is one I took with it outside my balcony window.
For those in the know of photography, it was a 20 second exposure, full manual, 100ISO, f/16 using a 50mm f/1.8
Also, for those who don't know, I'm a lover of Versace. We don't have any Versace boutiques in Adelaide, so I'm in heaven when I get to go to the 2nd largest one in the world. (LA has the largest, which is where Gianni Versace used to live.
I didn't buy anything this time due to lack of funds, however there were a few shirts I was dying for. But like anything Versace, it isn't exactly cheap - The shirts were 30% off and of an older collection and were still a good $450 Australian each.
But the guy there was super nice, and realized I like Versace and had a good chat with me. When he knew I liked Elton John too, he showed me the watch Elton has :D Elton has the same watch but serial number 1. It was about 6,000,000 yen too.
Anyway, I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but I have PSP's
I had 4 actually, but I sold one recently, and I'm trying to sell the rest on Ebay. See below :)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=8168398075&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
The story of getting the PSP's is quite a long one, so I'll talk about it later.
Anyway, I better start packing ^^
PLEASE NOTE! Photos aren't uploading properly atm, will fix soon.
First time for me to be in an earthquake - Quite an experience.
Japan is unfortunately prone to earthquakes, and they normally occur every couple of months. The earthquake this morning ranged from 3 - 4 depending on the area. Luckily enough, Sachiko believes it was only a 2 that we felt.
Looking back on what happened, Sachiko and I were just lying down on my bed together chatting, when suddenly the house began to shake. Sachiko immediately said "Earthquake!", and we both just sat still. It only lasted a few seconds, but to me it felt quite strong - Quite scary for the moments it was rumbling. Nothing actually fell off of anything, but there was a loud concrete moving sound and the house rumbled around, moving left and right slightly.
As soon as it stopped, she turned on the TV. Within 10 seconds the little warning beeps on the TV went off, and subtitles on the top of the current program (the news) told that an earthquake just occurred, detailing where and what each magnitude was.
Before I felt how strong this little one was, I couldn't imagine how strong a 6 or 7 would be. Now I worry about a 4 let alone a 6/7 etc!
A very new experience to me, and I'm glad that I was able to see what it's like, however scary.
Not thinking about earthquakes, Sachiko and I have decided to take a holiday from our 'holiday' by getting away from the house and going to Kyoto. We brought the tickets today, leaving 6:30am tomorrow morning at Tokyo station via Hikari Super Express Shinkansen (Bullet Train). It will be the first time for me on a shinkansen! So exciting.
We're staying for 2 nights, in a hotel quite close to the station (3 mins walk). I'll be posting up a lot of photos as soon as I get back ^^ The trip is costing about 28,000 each including train trip and accommodation.
In celebration of my trip to Kyoto tomorrow, I brought a tripod today! Whee.
I brought a Slik 500EX Pro. It set me back about 18,000 after I used up all my points. (Yodobashi has a point's card, where for every purchase, you get 10% worth of points. Ie, if you purchase something for 10000 yen, you get 1000 points. Each point is worth 1 yen, so you will get 1000 yen off your next purchase. Or you can choose to save up your points and buy something bigger later.)
It seems that tripods are a bit more expensive in Japan than in the US or Aust. I suppose due to importing and such, but I wasn't able to argue a better price anyway. Fantastic tripod though.
This photo is one I took with it outside my balcony window.
For those in the know of photography, it was a 20 second exposure, full manual, 100ISO, f/16 using a 50mm f/1.8
Also, for those who don't know, I'm a lover of Versace. We don't have any Versace boutiques in Adelaide, so I'm in heaven when I get to go to the 2nd largest one in the world. (LA has the largest, which is where Gianni Versace used to live.
I didn't buy anything this time due to lack of funds, however there were a few shirts I was dying for. But like anything Versace, it isn't exactly cheap - The shirts were 30% off and of an older collection and were still a good $450 Australian each.
But the guy there was super nice, and realized I like Versace and had a good chat with me. When he knew I liked Elton John too, he showed me the watch Elton has :D Elton has the same watch but serial number 1. It was about 6,000,000 yen too.
Anyway, I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but I have PSP's
I had 4 actually, but I sold one recently, and I'm trying to sell the rest on Ebay. See below :)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=8168398075&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
The story of getting the PSP's is quite a long one, so I'll talk about it later.
Anyway, I better start packing ^^
PLEASE NOTE! Photos aren't uploading properly atm, will fix soon.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Time goes so fast when your doing nothing.
Time goes so fast when your doing nothing.
I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I updated my blog. haha. And I'm only like 3 posts in. That's shocking.
It's super hard to explain unfortunately as to why I've been so lazy in regard to updating it, so I won't go into much detail, but it stemms from the fact I'm naturally lazy when it comes to any sort of writing - Actually getting anything done full stop. I think my passport took months of 'I'll do it tomorrow' sentences passing though my mouth before I finally got someone else to do it for me.
Also, not only just that. Unfortunately myself and Sachiko's father don't get along incredibly well. I could write on about it for hours, but I won't. But basically, I think he's stubborn and lazy with certain things, he doesn't like my age, he doesn't like the fact that I'm in Japan on holidays when he thinks I should be working, and he's also unhappy that Sachiko doesn't have a job here - Even though she's also here on holidays too. (On another note, she does have a job now part time)
So basically, I just try and see him as little as possible. That's not to say I'm not on the PC alot - I am practically everynight, I just never feel like updating this blog. BUT!
From this post on, I will strive to update at least twice a week. I started this blog basically so I could post super interesting things that I find in Japan. And by God have I found some. But, that is for a time very soon to come.
Annnnnnway...
I have done so much since I last updated, so writing it down will be awfully difficult. That and the fact that I've forgotten most of it. So we'll start from what I did yesturday and what I'll do is, when something jolts my brain on something interesting that I did, I will suddenly write a bit on what happened. Of course, this will fuck up the flow of the blog for a while, but at least we won't miss anything in the long run.
Yesturday Sachiko went and met up with some of her old work mates for lunch. Apparently it would have been rather boring as it was planned to be a quick lunch (while they were on break), so I decided to meet up later about 3:30ish when she met another friend for coffee.
We met in a place called Ochanomizu, which is about a 23 or so minute train ride from my station (Shinkoiwa).
I've been to this place before when I met my old exchange friends from Adelaide -
(At my school, we used to have exchange students come and stay for a few weeks every year. I was lucky enough to have hosted 3 students over 3 years, and every year I made many great friends. A few of those friends I've kept in contact with over the years. These bunch of great people are from the 2002 tour I think - So it was fantastic meeting up with them after 3 years. As I expected, they look exactly the same. Apparently my hair is longer though - Who would have guessed.. We went to Karaoke, got some purikura's done (little sticker photo things) and had lunch together. I'll meet up with them again as soon as their Uni entrance exams are over.)
- so I know my way around, but I had to meet them at a coffee shop though an exit I'm not used to. Luckily enough, Sachiko worked around here for 3 years, so she was able to draw me a fantastic little map of the place.
Before too long I was hungry as I hadn't eaten breakfast yet (got up very late..), so I wandered off to get some food. Unfortunately, I found myself spending money at the arcade.
This sorta thing happens to me alot - Getting sidetracked that is.
I wasted 1300￥ (Always divide number by 77 to get about what it costs me in $AUD after bank fees etc - ie this time $17ish) there on stupid UFO catchers (those crane type games) that never fucking catch anything. Or they just tease you by picking up the toy, and dropping it in an even more difficult to reach spot. I did however manage to win 2 toys (I'll post photo's tomorrow if I can). I also played a game of Quest of D, which is a Online RPG I'm addicted to atm at the arcades. MMORPG's as arcades games.. Only in Japan :D
I did end up buying some McDonalds too on the way back to the cafe too.
After we said our farewells, Sachiko and I walked around, visited her old place of work, and headed to a nice ramen shop before heading home.
Today I didn't really do much. In the afternoon I made my way to the city (from now on, when I refer to 'the city' I refer to around Shinkoiwa station - It makes life alot easier) and walked around a bit, played a bit of Quest of D, looked in Famicon House (Fantastic second hand game shop that I regular) and came home. I'm the King of Excitement.
Also, some photo's laying around that jolted my memory on some things that happened..
- Met up with my great friend Phil in Shinkoiwa. Fuck we rock at Karaoke together. Also we 0wned at some addictive as crack coin game. Whole post coming soon on arcade/medal games soon.
- Saw large dinosaurs in Shibuya
- Went to the Park Hyatt Tokyo where Lost in Translation was filed, and sat in the bar, on the same seat as Bill Murry. Dark I know, but no flash allowed. Fantastic view btw - 52nd floor above the busiest city in Japan - The train station there takes over 2 Million people per day. Mind you though, 3 drinks and a selection of cheeses cost me about $125 Australian..
- Went to Ginza and played with Aibo's in the SONY Building.
- Found a new lens for my camera that I wish to purchase for $700,000 (Pic from Net btw)
I'm sure many other things will pop up soon.
Will update shortly again
I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I updated my blog. haha. And I'm only like 3 posts in. That's shocking.
It's super hard to explain unfortunately as to why I've been so lazy in regard to updating it, so I won't go into much detail, but it stemms from the fact I'm naturally lazy when it comes to any sort of writing - Actually getting anything done full stop. I think my passport took months of 'I'll do it tomorrow' sentences passing though my mouth before I finally got someone else to do it for me.
Also, not only just that. Unfortunately myself and Sachiko's father don't get along incredibly well. I could write on about it for hours, but I won't. But basically, I think he's stubborn and lazy with certain things, he doesn't like my age, he doesn't like the fact that I'm in Japan on holidays when he thinks I should be working, and he's also unhappy that Sachiko doesn't have a job here - Even though she's also here on holidays too. (On another note, she does have a job now part time)
So basically, I just try and see him as little as possible. That's not to say I'm not on the PC alot - I am practically everynight, I just never feel like updating this blog. BUT!
From this post on, I will strive to update at least twice a week. I started this blog basically so I could post super interesting things that I find in Japan. And by God have I found some. But, that is for a time very soon to come.
Annnnnnway...
I have done so much since I last updated, so writing it down will be awfully difficult. That and the fact that I've forgotten most of it. So we'll start from what I did yesturday and what I'll do is, when something jolts my brain on something interesting that I did, I will suddenly write a bit on what happened. Of course, this will fuck up the flow of the blog for a while, but at least we won't miss anything in the long run.
Yesturday Sachiko went and met up with some of her old work mates for lunch. Apparently it would have been rather boring as it was planned to be a quick lunch (while they were on break), so I decided to meet up later about 3:30ish when she met another friend for coffee.
We met in a place called Ochanomizu, which is about a 23 or so minute train ride from my station (Shinkoiwa).
I've been to this place before when I met my old exchange friends from Adelaide -
(At my school, we used to have exchange students come and stay for a few weeks every year. I was lucky enough to have hosted 3 students over 3 years, and every year I made many great friends. A few of those friends I've kept in contact with over the years. These bunch of great people are from the 2002 tour I think - So it was fantastic meeting up with them after 3 years. As I expected, they look exactly the same. Apparently my hair is longer though - Who would have guessed.. We went to Karaoke, got some purikura's done (little sticker photo things) and had lunch together. I'll meet up with them again as soon as their Uni entrance exams are over.)
- so I know my way around, but I had to meet them at a coffee shop though an exit I'm not used to. Luckily enough, Sachiko worked around here for 3 years, so she was able to draw me a fantastic little map of the place.
Before too long I was hungry as I hadn't eaten breakfast yet (got up very late..), so I wandered off to get some food. Unfortunately, I found myself spending money at the arcade.
This sorta thing happens to me alot - Getting sidetracked that is.
I wasted 1300￥ (Always divide number by 77 to get about what it costs me in $AUD after bank fees etc - ie this time $17ish) there on stupid UFO catchers (those crane type games) that never fucking catch anything. Or they just tease you by picking up the toy, and dropping it in an even more difficult to reach spot. I did however manage to win 2 toys (I'll post photo's tomorrow if I can). I also played a game of Quest of D, which is a Online RPG I'm addicted to atm at the arcades. MMORPG's as arcades games.. Only in Japan :D
I did end up buying some McDonalds too on the way back to the cafe too.
After we said our farewells, Sachiko and I walked around, visited her old place of work, and headed to a nice ramen shop before heading home.
Today I didn't really do much. In the afternoon I made my way to the city (from now on, when I refer to 'the city' I refer to around Shinkoiwa station - It makes life alot easier) and walked around a bit, played a bit of Quest of D, looked in Famicon House (Fantastic second hand game shop that I regular) and came home. I'm the King of Excitement.
Also, some photo's laying around that jolted my memory on some things that happened..
- Met up with my great friend Phil in Shinkoiwa. Fuck we rock at Karaoke together. Also we 0wned at some addictive as crack coin game. Whole post coming soon on arcade/medal games soon.
- Saw large dinosaurs in Shibuya
- Went to the Park Hyatt Tokyo where Lost in Translation was filed, and sat in the bar, on the same seat as Bill Murry. Dark I know, but no flash allowed. Fantastic view btw - 52nd floor above the busiest city in Japan - The train station there takes over 2 Million people per day. Mind you though, 3 drinks and a selection of cheeses cost me about $125 Australian..
- Went to Ginza and played with Aibo's in the SONY Building.
- Found a new lens for my camera that I wish to purchase for $700,000 (Pic from Net btw)
I'm sure many other things will pop up soon.
Will update shortly again
Monday, January 10, 2005
Be very very quiet..
Everyone's asleep now, and Sachiko is sick with a cold :( Poor thing
I'm going to go and get some midnight gyoza in a sec from the local 7/11. That's one thing that I will miss so much, is the 7/11's. For anyone who doesn't know (None in Adelaide, but all around rest of Aust I think), they are 24 hour convenience stores. Here in Japan, they are everywhere - The price of your property is basically judged on how far you are from the nearest train station and the 7/11. I'm about 10 mins bike ride, and another 10 mins walk from station, and only a 30 second walk to the nearest 7/11.
Actually, I can see it from my room :)
I'm going to comment on comments in my blogs now :)
One thing to clear up however, which I really should have explained previously, is that I'm not staying for a year. It's just that my ticket is a 1 year open ticket, so it doesn't expire for 1 year, and I can change the return date anytime for free. I had to change, because there were no 3 month tickets available. I do plan to stay for 3 months minimum, but hopefully for 6.
You see, I'm currently on a 90 day visitor VISA, so technically I can only stay for 90 days. But I'm going to Korea in March to visit friends, so when I come back to Japan, I should be granted another 90 days :D But not sure yet - So I plan to ring the embassy just to make sure.
And quotes -
" will you be getting a job there? That would be interesting... kind of like MegaTokyo the comic, if you have ever read that."
haha, very much like MegaTokyo I hope. I love that comic. Unfortunately because of the VISA I'm on, I'm not allowed to work here. But it would be nice to make an income somehow by myself - Hopefully though selling items on ebay :)
"remember to take heaps of photos for me mate"
Many photos have been taken already :D Just have to find the time to edit them and upload them. Because this comp is a pos, it takes a min just to load photoshop elements. It's a Duron 800 / 128MB RAM for anyone interested btw.
Anyway, back on track.
Last night I went to a place called Shibuya. It's about 30 mins train ride from where I am living.
It's probably one of the busiest places in Tokyo, with it's rival being Shinjuku. Both places are havens for young people, with massive 15 floor shopping malls, nightclubs everywhere, game arcades, tons of places to eat, you'll never get bored. I went there because it's showed often in the movie 'Lost in Translation', which I absolutely adore.
As soon as I got off the train, and walk out of Hachiko Exit, it was like standing in the middle of the movie. Absolutely amazing.
http://www.geocities.com/wadebeger/Japan/Shibuya.jpg
In Shibuya, I just walked around, looking in shopping malls etc. I went to a big SEGA Arcade (I'm a big SEGA person for those who don't know) which rocked. But the problem with big arcades is that they are more expensive. NFI why, they just are. But I brought a couple of ice creams from vending machines there and went back wandering around.
I found a nightclub that I had heard about so many times on the net, and it's always been a dream place to go. I really couldn't believe I was there. It's a place called Gaspanic (http://www.gaspanic.co.jp/), and is very popular with gaijin (foreigners). So as soon as night started to come, I went in.
Gaspanic is a very very small club compared to Australian clubs. Most nightclubs here charge entry of about 2000-3000 yen ($25-35) with 1 free drink, but luckily Gaspanic don't.
But, because of this, they do have one single rule. You must be drinking at all times. They even have signs posted around stating this. So you're meant to order a drink as soon as you finish your other one. This doesn't always happen if people are dancing and such, but when it's not very busy they do go around and shake you glass a little if you're not drinking from it.
They have a great happy hour though. 400 yen for any drink you want. Including cocktails until 9:30 every night. Needless to say I got quite pissed.
Anyway, great night. Spoke to many gaijin. And danced with a few nice girls too.
Sachiko didn't come with me, so she was a bit worried that I might not be able to get home (get lost etc) because I needed to change trains. But luckily I made it home safely - Mind you I did get into the wrong train once, but quickly realized.
For a bit of a change, I'll note on something a bit sad. Hachiko.
Hachiko is a dog. A very caring, loyal dog. A dog who became so popular that even a statue was erected just outside of Shibuya. The exit is even called 'Hachiko Exit'. It's become a super popular meeting spot, but quite a sad tale to hear. One of the reasons for me going to Shibuya was to pat Hachiko, because I read about him on the net.
http://www.fabuloustravel.com/globe/hachiko/hachiko.html
Also, seeing today is now over, to run down on what I did is a list below.
And that concludes my blog today.
Just kidding, but I didn't do much at all because I wanted to stay home with Sachiko.
I ran over to 7/11 and brought some super expensive ice cream (900 yen for 6 little 75ml tubs). It's a very popular brand called Haagen Daz, which unfortunately we didn't have in Adelaide either :(
Anyway, more to come soon :D
I'm meeting my old time Japanese friends tomorrow at Tokyo Station! W00t.
I haven’t seen them for years, I seriously can't wait - Will post photos soon.
Goodnight until then :)
I'm going to go and get some midnight gyoza in a sec from the local 7/11. That's one thing that I will miss so much, is the 7/11's. For anyone who doesn't know (None in Adelaide, but all around rest of Aust I think), they are 24 hour convenience stores. Here in Japan, they are everywhere - The price of your property is basically judged on how far you are from the nearest train station and the 7/11. I'm about 10 mins bike ride, and another 10 mins walk from station, and only a 30 second walk to the nearest 7/11.
Actually, I can see it from my room :)
I'm going to comment on comments in my blogs now :)
One thing to clear up however, which I really should have explained previously, is that I'm not staying for a year. It's just that my ticket is a 1 year open ticket, so it doesn't expire for 1 year, and I can change the return date anytime for free. I had to change, because there were no 3 month tickets available. I do plan to stay for 3 months minimum, but hopefully for 6.
You see, I'm currently on a 90 day visitor VISA, so technically I can only stay for 90 days. But I'm going to Korea in March to visit friends, so when I come back to Japan, I should be granted another 90 days :D But not sure yet - So I plan to ring the embassy just to make sure.
And quotes -
" will you be getting a job there? That would be interesting... kind of like MegaTokyo the comic, if you have ever read that."
haha, very much like MegaTokyo I hope. I love that comic. Unfortunately because of the VISA I'm on, I'm not allowed to work here. But it would be nice to make an income somehow by myself - Hopefully though selling items on ebay :)
"remember to take heaps of photos for me mate"
Many photos have been taken already :D Just have to find the time to edit them and upload them. Because this comp is a pos, it takes a min just to load photoshop elements. It's a Duron 800 / 128MB RAM for anyone interested btw.
Anyway, back on track.
Last night I went to a place called Shibuya. It's about 30 mins train ride from where I am living.
It's probably one of the busiest places in Tokyo, with it's rival being Shinjuku. Both places are havens for young people, with massive 15 floor shopping malls, nightclubs everywhere, game arcades, tons of places to eat, you'll never get bored. I went there because it's showed often in the movie 'Lost in Translation', which I absolutely adore.
As soon as I got off the train, and walk out of Hachiko Exit, it was like standing in the middle of the movie. Absolutely amazing.
http://www.geocities.com/wadebeger/Japan/Shibuya.jpg
In Shibuya, I just walked around, looking in shopping malls etc. I went to a big SEGA Arcade (I'm a big SEGA person for those who don't know) which rocked. But the problem with big arcades is that they are more expensive. NFI why, they just are. But I brought a couple of ice creams from vending machines there and went back wandering around.
I found a nightclub that I had heard about so many times on the net, and it's always been a dream place to go. I really couldn't believe I was there. It's a place called Gaspanic (http://www.gaspanic.co.jp/), and is very popular with gaijin (foreigners). So as soon as night started to come, I went in.
Gaspanic is a very very small club compared to Australian clubs. Most nightclubs here charge entry of about 2000-3000 yen ($25-35) with 1 free drink, but luckily Gaspanic don't.
But, because of this, they do have one single rule. You must be drinking at all times. They even have signs posted around stating this. So you're meant to order a drink as soon as you finish your other one. This doesn't always happen if people are dancing and such, but when it's not very busy they do go around and shake you glass a little if you're not drinking from it.
They have a great happy hour though. 400 yen for any drink you want. Including cocktails until 9:30 every night. Needless to say I got quite pissed.
Anyway, great night. Spoke to many gaijin. And danced with a few nice girls too.
Sachiko didn't come with me, so she was a bit worried that I might not be able to get home (get lost etc) because I needed to change trains. But luckily I made it home safely - Mind you I did get into the wrong train once, but quickly realized.
For a bit of a change, I'll note on something a bit sad. Hachiko.
Hachiko is a dog. A very caring, loyal dog. A dog who became so popular that even a statue was erected just outside of Shibuya. The exit is even called 'Hachiko Exit'. It's become a super popular meeting spot, but quite a sad tale to hear. One of the reasons for me going to Shibuya was to pat Hachiko, because I read about him on the net.
http://www.fabuloustravel.com/globe/hachiko/hachiko.html
Also, seeing today is now over, to run down on what I did is a list below.
And that concludes my blog today.
Just kidding, but I didn't do much at all because I wanted to stay home with Sachiko.
I ran over to 7/11 and brought some super expensive ice cream (900 yen for 6 little 75ml tubs). It's a very popular brand called Haagen Daz, which unfortunately we didn't have in Adelaide either :(
Anyway, more to come soon :D
I'm meeting my old time Japanese friends tomorrow at Tokyo Station! W00t.
I haven’t seen them for years, I seriously can't wait - Will post photos soon.
Goodnight until then :)
Saturday, January 08, 2005
A Long Time Coming...
First off the bat, I apologize for the major delay in updates. To wash away recent rumors, I am indeed still alive. I've simply been having too much fun :D
I am indeed in Tokyo at the moment, but we'll start from the beginning. And one thing I'll clear up also is the fact that I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Basically it just means sometimes I have to rush off to the toilet without warning. It's a reasonably common and between 10-20% of adults have symptoms of it. I won't write about it too much, but sometimes it can be incapacitating, forcing me to stay home. http://www.ibsgroup.org/main/aboutibs.html Seems to be a reasonably good explanation if anyone wants to read it. Anyway, on with the rest of the blog.
26/12
This is it. The day I leave country I call home. Temporarily of course. The reason I brought a ticket for the day after Christmas is because I wanted to spend Christmas in Australia, and Sachiko wanted to spend New Years Day in Japan. I originally brought a 35 day ticket (due to only being able to have 1 month off work), but then changed to a 1 year ticket when my situation changed (no more work). In total the ticket cost me about $2600 excluding insurance (which luckily I get free on my Credit Card).
Anyway, off I go to a foreign land. A land to which I've never been. Heck, this was the first time I had been on a plane before. I was armed with my suitcase, my backpack and my camera.
My first plane ride was to Melbourne, where we stayed for 2 hours. Sachiko seems to have problems with her ears 'popping' and getting a terrible headache if she doesn't use ear plugs, but I had no such symptoms. I quite enjoyed the plane. Lovely staff, free alcohol, and a comfy seat with a TV packed with 50 stations. In Melbourne we just walked around looking at the shops in the airport. I had a nice coffee at Starbucks which I normally can't do as Adelaide doesn't have any. I also took more than my share of the free toasted sandwich samples.
After a while we were back on the plane to HK. The flight took about 9 hours in total, but it wasn't too bad. Nothing really special happened on the plane - Met some nice people who we (Sachiko and I) chatted to. We arrived in HK about 10PM (HK Time). It was quite exciting thinking that I was in a foreign country.
The first thing that went through my head when we got off the plane was how fucking big this place is. The airport that is. Adelaide International Airport is essentially a shed. We even had to climb up the plane via a ladder thing as the Airport is too small to connect the plane to it. As I've lived in Adelaide all my life, I've been pretty used to things being small. But now here I was in HK Intl Airport, where they even have a subway connecting Arrivals to the rest of the airport.
So after about 6 escalators, lots of walking on travelators (those horizontal escalators) and a 40 second train ride to arrivals, we were finally at Customs. From there, we had arranged a bus to take us to our hotel - Island Pacific HK.
Unfortunately however, 1/4 through the bus ride I was forced to stop the bus to run to the toilet. Being on the main highway to Central Hong Kong, I was very lucky the bus driver could find a toilet. So I spent the first 20 minutes of my Hong Kong trip in a little porta toilet, but a squat type ones, without a flusher. Where you had to manually push you foot on a pedal to shoot this blue liquid though it. It was quite disgusting. Actually, it was probably one of the worst moments of my recent life. And what I've written here makes it sound so much better than it really was.
But once we were finally back on the road, within about 20 minutes we were at our hotel. It was quite cheap, costing about $300 for 3 nights including breakfast. The room was reasonably small, but not too bad. And we had a fantastic view from our ceiling to floor window of the harbor.
For the next 3 days we did lots of walking around. Actually, it's basically 2 days because we arrived late the first night, and our bus picked us up at 6:30am on the 29th.
Hong Kong in the suburbs is incredibly dirty. It reminds me of a dirty, smelly china town. But here, no one can speak English. I was quite surprised about this, seeing as HK is such a popular destination. But for the majority of the time, we had to play the fun game of charades.
I'll just jot down a few things we did, otherwise this first post will be incredibly long. We were staying in 'Central', which is on Hong Kong Island. We were about 5 mins taxi ride to the port, where we could catch a ferry to Kowloon - The main shopping district. I might mention how cheap many things are in HK. Taxis including. The flag fall for a taxi in HK is $15HK, which is about $2.40ishAUD ($1AUD = $6HK Approx). With that flag fall you get 2km of travel, and after which you are charged $1.2HK per 0.2km. Because of how cheap taxis were, we were able to take a taxi wherever we wanted.
And the cheapness doesn't just stop there. The ferry ride to Kowloon is $2.20 - About $0.35. And arcade games! There are many arcades in Hong Kong, which a majority of relatively new games including Initial D 3 etc. All of which are either $1 or $2HK! So basically, you'll get 6 games of Initial D 3, compared to 1 in Australia for the same price! Even Initial D cards were only $4HK, compared to $4AUD in Aust. I probably spent a good $35HK in Arcades.
One reason I wanted to come to Hong Kong also, is because of one of my favorite games Shenmue 2. Basically just so I could go to some of the places in the game. So I went to Wan Chai, Kowloon and Man Mo Temple. I was so excited at Man Mo Temple, it looks basically the same as it does in the game. I took some pics there, so I'll see if I can do comparisons. It really feels very strange going to a place in real life that you've only ever been to in a game. Man Mo also is filled with an amazing amount of incense as well. Never smelt anything so strong - There was hundreds hanging from the roof.
We did a lot of shopping in HK. I brought many online games from the local 7/11 very cheap. One game was even just $2HK. No idea if they include a free month, but I'll try them out later.
We did so much more in HK, but I'm falling so far behind with this blog that I'll leave HK at that. If I remember anything exciting, I'll write it down later.
Anyway, on the 29th we made our way to Tokyo. A dream come true. I had been waiting so long to come here, but never getting enough money together. And probably if I wasn't with Sachiko, I would still be working at Dick Smith. We arrived in Narita Airport quite safely, however our plane was stuck for 20 minutes waiting for a free space to dock, as someone stole ours. And Snow! Outside the plane it was snowing! It was the first time I've seen snow falling from the sky before. When we left HK, it was about 20Cish, and now 4 hours later on a plane, it was 2C and snowing.
We met Sachiko's parents just outside of Customs, and a good family friend of there's (Tomiyama San) drove us home. While walking out to the car, I saw 2 brand new Bentley Continental GT's in the car park. Not something you see everyday - Someone parking an $800,000 car in an airport car park is rare enough, but 2! Unfortunately, they didn't own one, but it was a nice new car nonetheless. Narita is well known as being far away from anywhere, so it took us about an hour or so to get home.
I was so happy to get out of the car when we arrived here. Took off our shoes at the front, and I donned the new slippers the family provided me with. So cool, I started to feel like I was in Japan. Unfortunately, it wasn't just the cool things that were Japanese like. In Japan, you can't really sleep in your partner’s bedroom until your married, so I have my own room here :( Even though the parents know perfectly well we've been living together for the last 7 months in Aust. Luckily however, my room is adjacent to Sachiko's, which can prove convenient. Ironically, my room is also next to the parents.
Just to bring us up to date quickly, I'll just run though what I've done the last 1.5 weeks here.
I'll explain alot of these things in more depth soon enough. With photo's of course.
- Brought hot coffee from vending machines.
- Played Pachinko (I think I did anyway. It's like Pokies, but less interaction. If that's possible)
- Played addictive as crack coin games, that 10 year old kids spend thousands of yen on a day (Photos and manual coming shortly)
- Ate lunch at a place called 'Mos Burger'. Very nice btw, you gotta try it.
- Used fantastic heated toilets that spray water to clean you.
- Used awful run down, squat type toilets in stations.
- Gone to 2 Ramen shops. I love these things, will write and photograph more.
- Brought second hand games from the local game store 'Famicon House'. I love that place
- Complained how PSP is sold out though Japan. And how noone know when it's coming back into stock.
- Went to Ginza, and shopped at huge Louis Vuitton , Hermes, Chanel, Ralph Lauren stores
- Went to the big Sony Building in Ginza and complained about how PSP is sold out though Japan.
- Went to Nikko - It's very cold there.
- Prayed at Shrines.
- Went to Shrine at midnight on NYE and donated money, rang a bell and prayed.
- Drank Sake, and Beer.
- Complained about how slow this computer is at home countless times to Sachiko.
- Threatened to buy new computer
- Went to Akihabara
- Went to huge department stores
- Went to 8 floor store of just anime/manga stuff
- Brought Hellsing box set thingo
- Brought Bandai Wonderswan and game set from Sofmap
And I'm sure there's more, but will update daily (or so) from now on, so there will be no shortage of things to write about. w00t.
And plus in half an hour I'm going to Yokohama to meet Sachiko's friend, so no more time.
Photo's to come too! Once I work out an easy way to post them.
jyaa neeee
- Wade
P.S - Just to mention it, I can speak Japanese. Or at least enough to hold a very basic conversation.
EDIT : Thanks Eclipse! It did seem a bit strange without it..
I am indeed in Tokyo at the moment, but we'll start from the beginning. And one thing I'll clear up also is the fact that I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Basically it just means sometimes I have to rush off to the toilet without warning. It's a reasonably common and between 10-20% of adults have symptoms of it. I won't write about it too much, but sometimes it can be incapacitating, forcing me to stay home. http://www.ibsgroup.org/main/aboutibs.html Seems to be a reasonably good explanation if anyone wants to read it. Anyway, on with the rest of the blog.
26/12
This is it. The day I leave country I call home. Temporarily of course. The reason I brought a ticket for the day after Christmas is because I wanted to spend Christmas in Australia, and Sachiko wanted to spend New Years Day in Japan. I originally brought a 35 day ticket (due to only being able to have 1 month off work), but then changed to a 1 year ticket when my situation changed (no more work). In total the ticket cost me about $2600 excluding insurance (which luckily I get free on my Credit Card).
Anyway, off I go to a foreign land. A land to which I've never been. Heck, this was the first time I had been on a plane before. I was armed with my suitcase, my backpack and my camera.
My first plane ride was to Melbourne, where we stayed for 2 hours. Sachiko seems to have problems with her ears 'popping' and getting a terrible headache if she doesn't use ear plugs, but I had no such symptoms. I quite enjoyed the plane. Lovely staff, free alcohol, and a comfy seat with a TV packed with 50 stations. In Melbourne we just walked around looking at the shops in the airport. I had a nice coffee at Starbucks which I normally can't do as Adelaide doesn't have any. I also took more than my share of the free toasted sandwich samples.
After a while we were back on the plane to HK. The flight took about 9 hours in total, but it wasn't too bad. Nothing really special happened on the plane - Met some nice people who we (Sachiko and I) chatted to. We arrived in HK about 10PM (HK Time). It was quite exciting thinking that I was in a foreign country.
The first thing that went through my head when we got off the plane was how fucking big this place is. The airport that is. Adelaide International Airport is essentially a shed. We even had to climb up the plane via a ladder thing as the Airport is too small to connect the plane to it. As I've lived in Adelaide all my life, I've been pretty used to things being small. But now here I was in HK Intl Airport, where they even have a subway connecting Arrivals to the rest of the airport.
So after about 6 escalators, lots of walking on travelators (those horizontal escalators) and a 40 second train ride to arrivals, we were finally at Customs. From there, we had arranged a bus to take us to our hotel - Island Pacific HK.
Unfortunately however, 1/4 through the bus ride I was forced to stop the bus to run to the toilet. Being on the main highway to Central Hong Kong, I was very lucky the bus driver could find a toilet. So I spent the first 20 minutes of my Hong Kong trip in a little porta toilet, but a squat type ones, without a flusher. Where you had to manually push you foot on a pedal to shoot this blue liquid though it. It was quite disgusting. Actually, it was probably one of the worst moments of my recent life. And what I've written here makes it sound so much better than it really was.
But once we were finally back on the road, within about 20 minutes we were at our hotel. It was quite cheap, costing about $300 for 3 nights including breakfast. The room was reasonably small, but not too bad. And we had a fantastic view from our ceiling to floor window of the harbor.
For the next 3 days we did lots of walking around. Actually, it's basically 2 days because we arrived late the first night, and our bus picked us up at 6:30am on the 29th.
Hong Kong in the suburbs is incredibly dirty. It reminds me of a dirty, smelly china town. But here, no one can speak English. I was quite surprised about this, seeing as HK is such a popular destination. But for the majority of the time, we had to play the fun game of charades.
I'll just jot down a few things we did, otherwise this first post will be incredibly long. We were staying in 'Central', which is on Hong Kong Island. We were about 5 mins taxi ride to the port, where we could catch a ferry to Kowloon - The main shopping district. I might mention how cheap many things are in HK. Taxis including. The flag fall for a taxi in HK is $15HK, which is about $2.40ishAUD ($1AUD = $6HK Approx). With that flag fall you get 2km of travel, and after which you are charged $1.2HK per 0.2km. Because of how cheap taxis were, we were able to take a taxi wherever we wanted.
And the cheapness doesn't just stop there. The ferry ride to Kowloon is $2.20 - About $0.35. And arcade games! There are many arcades in Hong Kong, which a majority of relatively new games including Initial D 3 etc. All of which are either $1 or $2HK! So basically, you'll get 6 games of Initial D 3, compared to 1 in Australia for the same price! Even Initial D cards were only $4HK, compared to $4AUD in Aust. I probably spent a good $35HK in Arcades.
One reason I wanted to come to Hong Kong also, is because of one of my favorite games Shenmue 2. Basically just so I could go to some of the places in the game. So I went to Wan Chai, Kowloon and Man Mo Temple. I was so excited at Man Mo Temple, it looks basically the same as it does in the game. I took some pics there, so I'll see if I can do comparisons. It really feels very strange going to a place in real life that you've only ever been to in a game. Man Mo also is filled with an amazing amount of incense as well. Never smelt anything so strong - There was hundreds hanging from the roof.
We did a lot of shopping in HK. I brought many online games from the local 7/11 very cheap. One game was even just $2HK. No idea if they include a free month, but I'll try them out later.
We did so much more in HK, but I'm falling so far behind with this blog that I'll leave HK at that. If I remember anything exciting, I'll write it down later.
Anyway, on the 29th we made our way to Tokyo. A dream come true. I had been waiting so long to come here, but never getting enough money together. And probably if I wasn't with Sachiko, I would still be working at Dick Smith. We arrived in Narita Airport quite safely, however our plane was stuck for 20 minutes waiting for a free space to dock, as someone stole ours. And Snow! Outside the plane it was snowing! It was the first time I've seen snow falling from the sky before. When we left HK, it was about 20Cish, and now 4 hours later on a plane, it was 2C and snowing.
We met Sachiko's parents just outside of Customs, and a good family friend of there's (Tomiyama San) drove us home. While walking out to the car, I saw 2 brand new Bentley Continental GT's in the car park. Not something you see everyday - Someone parking an $800,000 car in an airport car park is rare enough, but 2! Unfortunately, they didn't own one, but it was a nice new car nonetheless. Narita is well known as being far away from anywhere, so it took us about an hour or so to get home.
I was so happy to get out of the car when we arrived here. Took off our shoes at the front, and I donned the new slippers the family provided me with. So cool, I started to feel like I was in Japan. Unfortunately, it wasn't just the cool things that were Japanese like. In Japan, you can't really sleep in your partner’s bedroom until your married, so I have my own room here :( Even though the parents know perfectly well we've been living together for the last 7 months in Aust. Luckily however, my room is adjacent to Sachiko's, which can prove convenient. Ironically, my room is also next to the parents.
Just to bring us up to date quickly, I'll just run though what I've done the last 1.5 weeks here.
I'll explain alot of these things in more depth soon enough. With photo's of course.
- Brought hot coffee from vending machines.
- Played Pachinko (I think I did anyway. It's like Pokies, but less interaction. If that's possible)
- Played addictive as crack coin games, that 10 year old kids spend thousands of yen on a day (Photos and manual coming shortly)
- Ate lunch at a place called 'Mos Burger'. Very nice btw, you gotta try it.
- Used fantastic heated toilets that spray water to clean you.
- Used awful run down, squat type toilets in stations.
- Gone to 2 Ramen shops. I love these things, will write and photograph more.
- Brought second hand games from the local game store 'Famicon House'. I love that place
- Complained how PSP is sold out though Japan. And how noone know when it's coming back into stock.
- Went to Ginza, and shopped at huge Louis Vuitton , Hermes, Chanel, Ralph Lauren stores
- Went to the big Sony Building in Ginza and complained about how PSP is sold out though Japan.
- Went to Nikko - It's very cold there.
- Prayed at Shrines.
- Went to Shrine at midnight on NYE and donated money, rang a bell and prayed.
- Drank Sake, and Beer.
- Complained about how slow this computer is at home countless times to Sachiko.
- Threatened to buy new computer
- Went to Akihabara
- Went to huge department stores
- Went to 8 floor store of just anime/manga stuff
- Brought Hellsing box set thingo
- Brought Bandai Wonderswan and game set from Sofmap
And I'm sure there's more, but will update daily (or so) from now on, so there will be no shortage of things to write about. w00t.
And plus in half an hour I'm going to Yokohama to meet Sachiko's friend, so no more time.
Photo's to come too! Once I work out an easy way to post them.
jyaa neeee
- Wade
P.S - Just to mention it, I can speak Japanese. Or at least enough to hold a very basic conversation.
EDIT : Thanks Eclipse! It did seem a bit strange without it..
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