The Journey of the Fellowship of Oita

Spring Trip


2/25 The Tell-Tale Alarm

We left with all our luggage and walked to the station, getting on a train and then heading to Beppu, which is only about 13 minutes or so from Oita. From there we took a bus at the station. The bus dropped us within sight of the ferry and we walked over to it and after checking in at the front counter, we boarded the ship.

The room we got had 36 people total and we were only ¼ of that in number ( our 9 members we eventually started to call “The Fellowship”). The room was mostly populated with old men who looked as though they had seen better days and a younger couple. At first the boat was kind of cool we thought. There were many tyes of vending machines, entertainment and even an onboard onsen which most of us tried out. It was cool to be sitting in a nice warm bath and looking out at the darkness of the sea. However as Time to sleep approached, the appeal wore off.

For Eva and Zach, because of their sea sickness had very quickly had enough of the boat. Trying to sleep in a cramped, very hot, noisy bed where the floor is constantly moving back and forth is very hard to do. I got no sleep but tried my hand at it twice, totaling more than four hours of me closing my eyes and hoping for the best. I got fed up with it around 4:30am and walked out to the lobby and listened to music, trying to sleep in the significantly more comfortable benches of the lounge and fight off my own pangs of nausea from the sea which had not hit till 2am or so. I waited till around 5:30 when the rest of my friends came out, pissed , having been woken up, or at least annoyed by the alarms. 3 went off and one kept going off because its attendant hadn’t bothered to pay attention to it or turn off snooze. It seemed snooze was right, at least for him, because he slept right through it.

The last hour was spent waiting and eating breakfast. We couldn’t be happier than when we got off that FUCKING boat.

2/26 Geriatric Alley

When we got to the Hostel at 9am, half of us went straight to bed till 1pm or so, the others went venturing around the hostel in search of something to do. They stumbled around, and found what we called Geriatric Alley.

Essentially, it’s a long path, flanked with shops on either side for a long way down, evidentially part of a shopping arcade. The people of this alley were all, sickly, creepy old men, with rasping voices akin to the walking dead. You had everything from old Ojiisan with Mohawks drinking hard alcohol and smoking ( bare in mind its not even 10am yet), to old withered shells of people that were still somehow walking under their own power. It was scary and as we walked around the area near our hostel later that day, we realized that the whole area was basically akin to that alley. What luck. What Irony, a YOUTH Hostel in a place that seemed closer to death than what one would assume youth to be.

We decided to skip out of the area, called Doubutsuen mae ( Animal Park front), and went into the city to Namba Parks, and wandered around the huge shopping building and found dinner for later that night, which we reserved. We were hungry though, and went to find food. Some of us ended up at a bagel café and we ate there. If this were the states, a bagel place wouldn’t be all that surprising or exciting, but since we haven’t seen a bagel since we came to Japan, it was very exciting to us.

After food we went down a popular thoroughfare and ended up going near the famed crab street full of shopping arcades and many big name shops. It was raining , but it didn’t deter us from exploring around. We saw many amazing buildings and cool architecture of the surrounding area. The number of shops was a little overwhelming , but it was really fun. We even stumbled into an army surplus store with and uncomfortably well stocked store of nazi memorabilia. We were a little perturbed.

When it turned 8:30, we turned around and went back to eat oysters and Gumbo and Namba City Tower. Even though we reserved we still had to wait 15 minutes to get it. The food was good, but very expensive and not up to the price of the food as far as taste I felt, but the gumbo wa good. I even had some nice wine that was very crisp and helped me forget the long wait for dinner we had in store. When we concluded we headed back, got some conbini food and went to sleep. We tried to watch TV , but the only interesting thing was the porn channel, and we tried not to get drawn into that as best we could.

2/27 Mikans and Plums

The first day in Osaka was really good, but the second was markedly better. We ate breakfast at a little hole in the wall place near Osaka Castle. The shop owner was so nice he gave us an entire bag of good mikans, for free. WE ended up eating them all during that day, although it traded hands between people until it ended up in my backpack. They weren’t even my mikans but I ended upo caring them around all day.

After breakfast, and Zach beating John to a pul with the bag of mikans ( pun), we got to the castle, and were assailed very quickly by a small women with too much energy for her to know what to do with. She offered to take us around the castle and give us a tour ( all in japanese of course), and Eva, Nora and I accepted. We walked all around and learned a lot actually, and she stayed with us to the castle tower itself. At that point we climbed up the castle and after looking at a few of the levels we got to the top and saw a breathtaking view. You could see Osaka sprawl forward on all sides, and you couldn’t see the end. The size of this city, finally dawned on us who had climbed the tower.

After the tower we went to the nearby plum tree garden that was in bloom, and we had lunch among the blooming flowers of purple , pink and white. It was really cool.
From there we got a little lost in the Nearby Park and then got on a subway and headed to AmeMura, a place famed for its trendy youth, and crazy fashions and stores. There we went walking about looking at what was available. After some food, I went with Eva and Nora as they searched for shoes, and I later regretted it, learning how girls (cough) Nora (cough) (cough) can literally take forever to find shoes….. DAMN.

After Finding the itls shoes we went back to the hostel, made some cheap food and then rested for that nights clubbing. We left around 10pm or so and got to the club at 11ish. The club itself was very cool with one big room as a joint bar and table area to sit and then the dance nroom, also big, next to it. The music and effects were great and those who came drank, smoked ( for those that smoke tobacco) and danced for a long while, until 2 or 3. We ended up leaving around then and hitting up a McDonalds for some late night food. Not bad for being up almost 20 hours, we got a lot done.

2/28 Revisiting the Crab

A great day, me and Eva woke up around 1pm, and went walking to find a 7-11. We did and in the process found a very nice Supermarket near the hostel along with a bento restaurant, where we ate lunch for very cheap. The location was seedy though with more porno and sex shops thatn I thought would be found in one place outside a red light district.

We got on the train into Namba City around 3pm and got to the station. We started off wanting to see a 3d IMAX ocean movie, but founf out it wasn’t 3D, and so we instead found a imported food shop, where Ebva and I bought many hard to find items for later consumption.

After shopping, and a quick coffee, we went out down the crab street again, and found a great takoyaki restaurant near the Giant Robot Crab. The food was cheap and very good. From the food we moved off and wanderd about the shops and found many a strange sight, along with gifts for friends which we picked up along the way. We decided to get back around 8pm or so and ate more cheap noodles at the hostel.

The next day was slotted to go out of the city, so we needed to rest if we were to wake up early.

3/1 THE DEER!! OH GOD!!

We had to wake up really early to get to Nara. We arrived there at about 9am, and stayed for 3 hours or so. We wondered over to Todaiji Temple ( Know for the largest sitting wooden Buddha in the World), and found deer on the way over.

The deer are what most people had been looking for ward to see in Nara, but it didn’t take long for that to change. The reason for the change being, they look cute alriht; until you have food. Once we got deer crackers, they all came swiftly down upon us. They all jockied for a position nearest to the hand wit food. They also began ramming their heads into the body the hand belonged too until they got fed. Naturally this led to both funny and unpleasant situations for everyone. The people in my group also learned the most famous trait of the Nara deer: eating. Now I don’t mean the crackers or any type of sensible food, but clothes, maps, keychains, purses, etc. More than one person had to quickly withdraw their things before the deer seized them.

When we decided to escape the deer we walked off to the temple. The temple was huge, Gigantic Buddha in the middle and a number of other gods and deities around besides. In the back, there is a pillar of wood with a hole carved into it, big enough for a slender man to squeeze through. It is called Buddhas Belly Butoon ( yea, I don’t know why kits called that either). It is said that if you manage to squeeze through you’ll be granted good luck for a year. Everyone but Zach and Nora tried there hand at it, including me. I got stuck toward the end, my hips and thighs anchoring me to a spot, whrr ei could not get my arms down to brace myself and push out of the hole. So locals from about and everyone lauging tried to help some. I saw quickly that and elderly man pulling at me from the front toward him, and two older ladies molesting my rear on the back and pulling me towards THEM wasn’t going to free me. So I called for Zack, and after one tug I was free.I wonder if that good luck still counts?

After the temple, we sped back to the train station, hopped on a train and went on to Kyoto. There we met up with Ryousuke ( whom many of us who were on the Fukuoka trip affectionately call “ Gackt”). He took us to a nice sushi restaurant where we all ate some very good food. During lunch Ryousuke wanted to knoew where we would like to go, so we talked awhile with him and decided to go to the following places: Ginkaku-ji, Kiyomizudera and then Gion. The first two are a Temple and a Shrine respectively, and my pictures will speak louder on the experience. Gion though was interesting. It was here, from out of a Geisha house, 2 Geisha appeared and got into a taxi. It was only the second time I have ever seen Geisha, and it was also in Kyoto. By the time we were in Gion though it was getting late, the rain was picking up and we were hungry, so Ryousuke took us to get some dinner. We went to eat at a very nice place that specialized in grilled eel. SO we each ordered some and enjoyed a very tender and delicious meat. Although a little pricey, I could see why it was so popular in Japan.

When we finished it was almost 8pm so we went back to the Station and bid Ryousue goodbye at the bus stop, and then headed on our way. We go back to Osaka around 9:30. We were all exhausted but had to pack for the next days long , long journey, to Tokyo.


3/2 The Long and Uncomfortable Road

Waking up early when you know you wont go anywhere but plant your ass on trains for 11 hours is not much motivation to wake up. Eva anmd I had to wake up with time to hit up Family Mart for food and then take our luggae from the Hostel in Doubutsuen-Mae to The JR Station and Hop on our first train of the day on our journey to Tokyo. The day was filled with a mix of short and long transfers and train rides to match. The total time was from 9am until 8:30pm.

On the trains we ate when we could ( those of us who had bought food ahead of time) and did our best to kill time. It wasn’t easy. The constant transfers mixed with the uncomfortable seats made sleep a near impossibility except for a few like Jesse who always seem to be able to sleep. 11+ hours passed by and we finally arrived in Tokyo, and Shinsaibashi station. From there we took the Ginza subway line toi Asakusa and by that time we were all a bit cranky.

Eva and I were trying to meet our friend Mai at the station. Unfortunately, because of a mix up of directions on our part, poor Mai ( and us for that matter) ended up at two opposite sides of the station. So after a few stubborn minutes of our friends wishing to shiver with us in the cold, we beckoned them onto the Hostel as Eva and I waited. We appreciated the sentiment , btu didn’t want them to freeze on account of our business. It took about a half hour to find Mai. With her after some hurried greetings, we took of for the hostel, using Matt’s verbal directions via cellphone. Getting there, Eva and I got our key, and climbed 3 flights of stairs ( it was the comical ending to a day filled with stairs at damn near every station). After dropping our stuff we went off with Mai in Asakusa in search of food and ended up eating at a Turkish restaurant with amazing pita bread wraps, exotic drinks and very delicious hookah which we all, save Matt and John partook of in varying quantities. After dinner we split ways with Mai and headed back to the hostel to rest.

As we sat , or atleast some of us sat, in the common room, we met another Eva, from Germany. Through her we learned had we paid but 10$ more we could have gotten our own room to sleep in on the ferry and a much healthier start.

-sigh- just our luck right?

3/3 Moe, Moe GYUU!!

Waking again early, before 9, we left around 9:30 and got a quick conbini breakfast before heading off to Shibuya.

After a 30 min subway ride we made it and once we reached the main crossing street that is so famous and well known, we split off to go find our own things to do. After a little while me and Eva went off looking for fun things and ended up going to a few random places. The first of which was ABC mart, a popular shoe store in Japan. I went in originally just for fun, but when I found they had my shoe size ( the first time EVER) I was excited and after some searching got some awesome vans, which I wore home. From there we wandered around and then ate at a Sahkeys pizza for lunch. We ate our fill at the super cheap lunch special of 850 yen ( like $9.35) for all you could eat. Eva and I made sure we did.

After lunch we wandered more, meeting up with Jesse and learning the group extended the time it wanted t stay in Shibuya for 2 more hours so we went off again and Eva and I wandered around more stores and through back allesy, finding some interesting sites along the way. I got a new shirt and Eva got some socks for very cheap. All and All it was pretty fun. We even went into the guys side of the famed Shibuya 109 store and inside Eva and and I got a clear impression of what the guys liked to dress like who were in that store: Girly men. They tried to dress tough with spikes and chains and leather etc, but the way it looked and the way to skinny boys that wore the clothes just ended up making them look funny. Japan, for the most partm still needs to learn how to dress and act tough in a more convincing manner.

When we met again at 4pm we moved as a group to the station and went one stop down to Akihabara. Our first objective was to find a maid café ( obviously, lol) and with Eva and my friend’s recommendation we went to one of the highly acclaimed ones in the Area. After 2o mins of waiting, they miraculously fit all 9 of us. We stayed there for nearly 2 hours drinking and laughing and enjoying the spectacle and experience of it all. Some of the finer notes were the group rock-paper-scissors, Enchanting our drinks with love and then finally getting our picture with our choice of the maids ( for a little more of course). The people watching wasn’t bad either, for there were some interesting foolsk about in there; the term “good, bad and ugly” comes to mind. It was fun and we all seemed to enjoy ourselves, except for Mina and Zach until he drinken his gin to calm his frazzled nerves and marred pride. When we finished we spent the rest of our time in Akihabara ooking for electronmic goods. I bought a modest pair of over-ear head phones while others bought ipods ( one bought 2) and new DS ii’s. After this most people seemed less willing to spend more money. We went back to the Hostel and made cheap noodles and rested, trying to forget the money spend ( especially the ones who bought the ipods and DS’s). We went to bed after midnight and prepared to wake up again around 8am or so.

3/ 4 Old Friends in New Places

We set off for Ahkihabara later than we had intended, and spent only 30 mins or so in Meijijingu Shrine. Mike met up with some of his friends and when we went down Takeshita Dori we went our separate ways without him. We got back to Harajuku and split off again. Eva and myself went down the main drag, checked out the random shops and people and then looped back after awhile and went down the true main street of Harajuku, not Takeshita dori. Down there we found the snoopy store and milled about a littlew and then met back up with people. After deciding buying the Ghibli Museum tickets, which were slotted for 2pm and later, was not a god idea we split off into 2 groups, one bound for Shinjuku and the pother stayed in Harajuku. Those of us in Harajuku went looking for food but soon found all the places to be full. So 3 more split from our group to go to Shinjuku and Eva and myself were left to pour own devices. We eventually found a back alley restaurant with a nice veranda and decent food selection. We ate some taco rice and waited for our friend Mai to call. When she did we went off to Shinjuku and our true adventure began…

Upon entering the station and soon after leaving the ticket turnstile Eva and I got spectacularly lost and frustrated for 45 minutes trying to find Mai. Again, a communication error had split us and the fact Shinjuku is the biggest god damn station I Have ever seen or ever hope to see. Period. The station is set up in such a way , that if you come out the wrong exit, the only way around to the right one is walking outside the station to get to the right one. And with 4 large department stores that comfortable fit in the station, you kinda get an idea of its scope.

When Mai did find us, Eva and I were very tired, very suddenly too, and we wished to sit down with her in a café. After a bit of a walk we found one with space and we sat, drinking coffee and talking with mai for an hour and a half or so. When we finished we went off to a game arcade, took some puri kura and then played some random arcade games. It was fun, and I learned Mai is surprisingly good at Taiko Drum Master. We did some more wandering with Mai then went back to the hostel to quickly change and get ready for that night of clubbing. When we finished dressing we had a few spare minutes before we had to go, so we watched the telling of two men, an eel and a restaurant owner, and their retelling was very animated, the English translation of Japanese wood block theatre, which was a unexpected and pleasant surprise. We had to soon leave and once again, the night was raining. Just DAMN.

When we got to Roppongi we moved our way passed the all the advertisers for the various clubs and got to th club where the Hungarians had a friend, called Club New Lex. Their friend,, Agnes is a journalist at a magazine going on 2 years, and through her work she has met a lot of people and was not only to get us into the club for a discount but also, gave us multiple free drink and food tokens during the course of the night. Its definitely the nicest club I had been in with its pricey menu, walls dripping with celebrities who took pictures with the owner to the clientele. Those of whom included models from various countries; I guess it was a slow night for the club if all they had were models and then our group (laughs). The music and effects were great an the drinks were mixed very well. Part way in the night, as Eva sat tired near the door , she watched model come in and out of a back room frequently. Upon their leaving the room they were rubbing their noses and sniffing. Gee, wonder what they were doing (sarcastic eye roll). Around 2:30 or so Eva and I left and got back to the hostel via taxi. We got to bed around 3 or so and went to sleep, tired and glad for the soft beds.

3/5 The Back Alleys

We woke up at noon and left at 2ish. It was later than we wanted, but we just didn’t care. What the hell right? It was our own day anyway. So when we got to Shibuya we went wandering down a random side street and kept walking. We found, after not too long a good place for lunch where the portions were generous, prices moderate and the food very good. I got some curry and Eva got some Gyuu-don. Were cheap dates usually, and this was no exception. Having finished our food we went off wandering about the streets and hills finding all kinds of Tokyo that you never hear about or see usually. It was fun. We eventually had to turn back when it got dark, and we ate at a place named to be the best burger in Tokyo. We didn’t go there for the burgers however, we came for the Buffalo wings, and hats what also kept us longer. They were very good. I even tried a few of the available hot sauces and found 2 that were my match if not too intense for even me. It was humbling and exciting to think about. Having finished we went back home and got our food at the supermarket for the next days long trip to Hrioshima. The rest of the night was spent packing and trying to rest, we only got 2 hours at most though, because we had to wake at 4am.

3/6 The Longest Day and Longest Trains

We woke at 4am, left at 4:20am, and got to the station around 5am. We left on our first train around 5:30am and were on trains all day until 16 hours. It was the worst kind of déjà vu, only much much worse. When we finally got to Hiroshima at 8:30pm that night, we were a new kind of tired only heard about in stories or experienced by people under extreme conditions. No sleep could be obtained on the train, which is saying something about the comfort of the trains we took. When we got there that night, we made food bought out of a local supermarket and did little else but eat and have some small talk with the travelers that had been at the hostel longer than us. We went to bed at midnight-ish and got ready for the next day.

3/7 From Death to Deer

The first stop of the morning was breakfast. We had agreed to leave at 10 ish but unfortunately no food places seemd to open up earlier than 11am except the conbini and the local supermarket, so some made breakfast from the supermarket and others of us went to a bakery we eventually found, and we ate there. Having eaten we went off to the peace park and then to the A-Bomb m Museum and Dome.

Not much to say about both of them except they were sad as hell and made the mood very somber in the group. For lunch after that sad affair we walked by a group of protestors protesting American Military in Japan and found an building with 3 entire floors devoted to Okonomiyaki that I had been to on previous trips to Hiroshima. The food was good and cheap, but the selection of restaurants was too hard for some people to choose for longer than I expected.

From the food we got on a train and went off to Miyajima island, which took an hour by trolley and took a ferry to the island itself. Upon the island lays the famed floating shrine. It looks like it is floating when the tide it high. We arrived there when the tide was out, so we were able to walk right up to it. We all wandered a bit around the island, taking pictures here and there, playing with the deer and I took tsome time to collect a few shells with Eva. Whe it got dark and the shops started to close, Eva and I left with the others back to the city. We had dinner in a little Italian restaurant that was cheap, and I would finds out why it was so later.

From dinner we split off and Eva, Nora, Mina and myself went to an arcade to play games and try our hand at the UFO catchers. We together, Mina, myself and Eva spending out the ass for a Alpaca Stuffed animal. We were all relieved to finally win it , and the girls cried out with both delight and defiance. We wandered home after that through the park and got drinks at the supermarket. I got 2 large cans of beer and over the next 2 hours drank them in the lobby with some friends and other travelers. That was the end of the fun part of the trip.

3/8 Where am I? Hell. How do I feel? Shitty. What can I Do? Nothing.

From 2:30am until 5 or 6 I got up more than once to throw up. My old foe of food poisoning was back, and with a vengeance. This time he brought his buddy alcohol and together they proceeded to kick my ass in new and exciting ways for 4 hours or more till I was beyond empty. People later described it as this ( I was loud enough apparently to be heard by most of the floor, but I really didn’t give a shit at the time).

1st time: AHAHA! Jari drank too much, that sucks, AHAHA!
2nd time: Ah.ha, hes still at it, sucks for him.
3rd time: Ha…ha…. Ok that’s gotta be the last time
4th time: Damn that dude is FUCKED up
Every time after:… is he ok?....
Etc.

SO, in the morning I managed to get up and get to the train, with help from mostly Eva and a few of our friends that had a few hand. The 10 hours+ of train rides were hell. I drifted in and out of sleep, consciousness, nausea and even managed to throw up on the train once. Awesome.

When we finally got back to Oita, I dropped my shit off, showered, threw up again and passed out for 16 hours from 8pm until noon the next day. I kicked food poisoning’s ass again…. But damn its always a hard fight. Why is it the last two times I get it, I have to be traveling in an uncomfortably cramped space that jostles about violently like a car or train for 4 hours or more? There is some sick fuck in this Universe and he/she is laughing there ass off…

When will the craving be satisfied?!?!

Here I am, finally!
Right now we're on spring break, which seems so long to the point where i wish school would start up again. oh well ! I've been keeping myself busy with studying and translating this new cookbook i bought that focuses on starting yourself with a "Happy Breakfast"... or should I say a customized breakfast according to how you're feeling when you wake up! I love it! After I translate the recipes i'll try them out and have Jari taste test them... I'm sure he won't mind. ;)

The thing that has been on my mind though is "American food"... you know, the greasy, but OH so delicious food that when you bit into it puts a greasy gloss on your lip. Damn, i'm drooling even thinking about it... you really can't find or make yourself here either. and yes i know your thinking i'm crazy being a 20 minute walk from McDonald's, but i can assure you that a McDonald's fix does not satisfy my need.

Have i ever mentioned what a "Japanese pizza" is? It's surely the pizza to confuse all foreigners that remotely know what pizza should be, "Japanese pizza" breaks all those boundaries and can often make people say, "omg, are you sure it can still be a pizza????". Were talking cream sauce with corn, yes i said corn, tuna, cheese, and to top it all off..... Mayonnaise! It's surprisingly good i hear, but i'm still a bit skeptical about it... hehe...

Food seems to always work it's way into this blog, but on another note i'm pretty happy about spring coming! It's finally bearable to be in my room with the heater off and just have a blanket, and toe socks! warm and toasty. My room has also been a complete mess, as Jari would probably say, " your room just looks like a munchy room would look like". I have to keep this promise to myself to keep my room clean, and get in the habit of doing so because I'll be having a roomie soon, and i want to keep that room as clean as possible. I know i can do it, i've done it before! ;)

Well this seems like a good note to end on,

Eat wonderfully delicious american food for me!

Party Before the Storm: Days 80-96

Day 84 (12/19/09): Christmas Party

It being December and all, those of us at the kaikan decided to have a get together and celebrate the holiday together. We decided to do the party a week before because many of us the were going to be involved would be involved traveling around on Christmas, so a week earlier was best for most people. The party was a potluck and secret Santa mix.
Two weeks before I took down a list of people who wanted to join in, then wrote up names on pieces of paper and threw them in Zach’s traveling hat. After everyone selected a name, we went off and got appropriate gifts for our selected person. On the day of the Party we all brought at least 10$ of food or drink with us so we could feast. We did indeed feast, many types of food were brought: Nora, Ami and Mina made Hungarian pancakes, Zach bought oranges and chocolate, Matt boiled up some edamame and brought a Christmas cake, Seulgi brought Wine, Ashley brought mini cakes, Eva and I brought fried chicken and everyone else brought a random assortment of snacks and drinks. The party was supposed to start at 6pm, but got off around 7:00. It all worked out though, because we had a lot of fun. We ate a lot of food and then open up our gifts. We all got really good gifts, and it was really fun to celebrate the holiday with friends. Being alone would have sucked majorly.
The rest of the night we talked and drank, Charlotte playing DJ as we all danced. Mina got overly excited (as usual) and wanted to be DJ too, taking up the mantle after charlotte left around 9:30. I had Jesse’s dice, so we ended up playing 7, 11 or doubles. We played in the lobby and Hoon’s room till 2 in the morning and called it a night. It’s funny how we always seem to hang out en masse in small spaces with alcohol. Sometimes the most memorable moments in your life involve beer, dice and close friends.

Day 88:いっしょうに花火を見たいです( I want to watch the fireworks with you)

In Japan Christmas Eve is Considered a big and important date night ( much like Valentines Day in the U.S.). On this holiday, instead of being with family and eagerly awaiting Santa’s arrival, you go on a romantic date with your boyfriend/girlfriend and do romantic couple type of stuff. So Eva and I decided to try that out and planned a romantic evening.
With our friend Jon and his girlfriend Nozomi, and his friend John ( Ironic right?) and his fiancé Narumi to watch the fireworks in Beppu over the Bay. That night is the 2nd of two nights of fireworks; the first is for everyone and the 2nd is geared toward couples. Eva and I decided to definitely go the 2nd night and so off we went. We got to the station, bought the train tickets (which were selling out very fast) and got on the train. The station has never been so crowded before; full of couples everywhere. This holiday was obviously a couples holiday, even before we got to the event itself.
After arriving in Beppu we followed the set path to the show, and found a seat on the beach to watch. After a short wait of 15 mins or so, the fireworks began and they were beautiful. They were even better than the ones I usually see at the A’s fireworks games. A huge barge sat out in the bay, and from it, the fireworks blasted forth. The music was pretty good too despite the Dj’s incessant talking between each set of 2 songs. I guess he was trying to show off his English speaking skillz, but I wasn’t much impressed. The show lasted about 45 minutes or so, and then, the couples on the beach, we together moved as a great wave out from the beach and into the city for dinner.
John and reserved a Korean Barbeque place for diner and it was great; lots of delicious meat and chanpo. We ate in the warmth of our table side grill and talked for a couple hours. After, we were all very full and went back home to dream of sugarplums and sleigh bells. On the way back, there were a number of very…. interestingly dressed youths acting in all sorts of ways that were strange and rude. Eva, Myself and the other couples couldn’t help but stare at them a bit in wonder and mild amusement.

Day 90 (12/26/09): Fat Man’s Plane and the Pilgrimage of Drinking

5am is an ungodly time that should be reclassified as ‘night’ rather than ‘morning’. It was a little before then I had to wake up, dress and grab my luggage. It was the day we were going to Okinawa and the day began earlier than the sun. When I got to Eva’s room at 5:10 she was still asleep, having slept through her alarm. Thankfully after I woke her up, she moved quickly if not in a deep mental fog and we left. She had been woken up by her noisy and annoying neighbors above her again, and was even sleepier than she needed to be. Me almost door bell ditched them but thought better of it, it was too early to give a damn. After 15 mins of walking we got to the bus stop and in no time at all got onto the 6am bus to Fukuoka.
Fukuoka takes about 2 1/2 hours by bus, and when we arrived there in the, the sun was just coming up. Arriving at Fukuoka, we got on the subway to the airport, got our tickets, checked in our baggage and waited an hour for the plane. Eva and I were really hungry after we got through security and so we went for some breakfast. We found a place that served udon noodles and we each got a bowl. The noodles weren’t enough though and we ended up getting coke and ice cream floats. We were hungry, so hungry and eating some bizarre things before 10 am. When we go on the plane, the longest part of the trip began.
The plane was only going to take 2 hours to get to Okinawa, but the man in front of Eva was hell bent on making it seem longer. He was the 2nd fattest man I have seen in Japan and he damn near took up two seats himself. The poor girl next to him look on warily and avoided eye contact. He on the other hand had no problem staring at her up and down as though she were some sandwich he wished to eat. Speaking of food, fatty brought smelly food on the plane which made Eva and my hunger pangs live anew. Afdter the plane took off and fatty had eaten his fill the sleeping began. Now, you would think asleep, he would annoy us less. Far from it because he snored like a dump truck ran into a brick wall. He also snored and tipped over to the right, nearly with his head on the young girl’s shoulder. It took not 10 mins for her to run to a vacant seat to escape the man. Eva and I however, were not as fortunate. He snored the ENTIRE flight!!!
Longest.
2 hours.
of.
MY LIFE!

When we arrived in Okinawa, we found Nicky and his parents they took us and our luggage to their car and we began our Okinawan vacation!
The first objective was lunch, and so we went off to eat a Traditional Okinawan set; Souki and Goiya. Souki is a udon which is has pork. The pork is stewed for more then 24 hours which makes it so soft and sweet, you can eat the bone, which is soft enough to chew. Goiya is Okinawa bitter melon with a mix of spam and egg and is much better than you may think. Lunch was great with Nicky and his family, Okinawa was getting off to a good start.
After lunch, we went to a historical sight, the Old Naval outpost in Okinawa during the War. We walked around the tunnels and into the various rooms, including one full of shrapnel and bullet holes where the officers had committed suicide with grenades and handguns. It was both Haunting and incredibly interesting. From there we went to the cliff side memorial, where, on big polished walls of marble, the names of the American soldiers and Okinawa citizens who died on Okinawa were written. There were about 6-10 thousand foreign names written and over a million Okinawan citizens. The sheer number of names was daunting to think about. The other thing about the site too was, it was on the cliff many people jumped to their death to avoid their American Aggressors. There are also many caves on the cliff sides that are closed off to the public where archeologists are still finding ghosts from the War. From there we went to a Okinawa Glass Blowing Area where they make all types of high Quality Okinawan Glass. It was really cool, they even had glow in the dark glass which was the most surprising. Me and Eva both got a glass in the Famous Okinawan glass color of Red.
As the sun set, we went off to International street where Eva, Nicky and I wandered around a bit. Eva and I bought some souvenirs and walked around looking at all the light and shops. It was too much to see in one night. After an hour or so, we met back up with Nicky’s parents and went off to their home to drop off our things. When we arrived me and Eva became aware of one reality when you stay in someone’s home; separate beds. Nicky’s mom was so nervous about it, she had me and Nicky sleep in one room on separate futons and Eva by herself in another room. A little shocking, but reality of life.
After a little food prepared by Mrs. Bayani , we went off for a night of parting. We drove to a Karaoke. We were met by over 10 Japanese people of all ages who greeted us with joyful cheers and shouts. We met everyone and ordered some food and drink and a night of singing and drinking began. Among us was a professional singer and friend of the family. He was very talented musically and was even putting out records, attaining some amount of Fame on Okinawa. With him, me and Eva sang some songs, and our group with us was loud and enthusiastic, singing and clapping along with us. It was probably the most fun I have ever had at karaoke. During the singing I tried a few mugs of the Okinawan famous beer, Orion and it was really good. I also had some awamori, which, is sweeter and stronger than sake, and before I knew it , I was hit hard by the Awamori, and drunk. I had been given a beer mug of it, half water and half awamori and it was powerfully delicious. After 3 hours or so at Karaoke we went over to a local bar where we continued to eat and drink. The guy who owned the bar and his wife did some music with a friend of their and they played a medley of tunes. We eventually went back around 2am and slept off the alcohol. The other however, were still partying as we left, I salute them and their endless stamina.

Day 91: JESUS, that’s a big crab!!!!

We were awaken the next day at 9am by Nicky’s mom. She woke us with the opening of blinds and very cheerful saying “Ohaiyo”. She answered and allowed no questions: we were waking up, end of discussion. So I got up and took the first shower, and dressed, and as I waited for Eva and Nicky, I experienced something I had missed; American TV. I watched Animal planet with Nicky’s dad, it was really nice to watch TV in my language for a change. When everyone was ready we went off fro breakfast, at A&W. Eva and I were really excited, we had root beer for the first time in awhile. It was delicious. I had Chili Cheese curly fries and a Burger. It tasted just like home. It was strange for breakfast perhaps, but me and Eva were thrilled. After breakfast we hopped in the car and drove up the coast for an hour a half to the Chimamura Aquarium, the largest Aquarium in Japan. It was gorgeous. So many different tanks, full of many different animals I could barely contain my excitement. I took a lot of viedo of the creatures there, and hope to put it online (eventually). There were deep sea fish the blinked, Giant lobsters and Crabs bigger than dogs and even a massive tank filled with some of the largest ocean creatures. In that center tank were giant manta rays, a lot of different sharks and other types of rays, but amazingly they also had 3 whale sharks. THREE. And each was about 30-40 feet long. It was an awesome sight to behold.
After the Aquarium we went of to lunch for another famous Okinwan dish: Taco Rice. Taco Rice, as you can imagine has rice, then lettuce, Taco meat, tomatoes, cheese and salsa. It’s really good and I was surprised to find its very popular in Okinawa. When we finished lunch we drove to the giant American Shopping mall where Nicky’s parents dropped Eva, Nicky and me. We took purikura, wandered around and Eva and I even rode the giant Ferris wheel. It was pretty cool. It was definitely the biggest Ferris wheel I have ever been on.
For dinner we went to a big buffet place where Nicky had invited a lot of his friends so we could have dinner, drink and talk. The food was great and so were the drinks it was really fun.Only 2 people showed up however, because everyone was either out of the country or busy at work. One of the 2 that showed up spoke English really well but she was incredibly cold and unfriendly. So Me and Eva spent the evening talking to Nicky and the other friend, Yuenosuke. After awhile when Nicky’s parents went home, we went to Karaoke nearby and met another of Nicky’s friends who came along. We sang karaoke till 2am and drove back home in yuenosuke’s pimped out car. It had 4 TV’s, LED lights, curtains, carpeting and leather. It was pretty cool, but Eva and I wondered how he drove with all the lights and distractions…. . Eva, Nicky and I stayed up till 3am talking and eventually passed out.

Day 96 (1/1/2010): Winter is too cold for New Years

After surviving our crazy New Years, me and Eva went over to Saori’s house for some customary Japanese food and traditions. We ate some mochi miso for lunch and talked with Chiemi and Papa. After lunch the girls went back to put on their kimonos and I sat with Papa and we watched the Finals of Japanese Soccer, Nagoya versus Osaka. After 2 hours the girls emerged pretty and dressed up. Eva was really really cute in her Kimono!
So we go on our jackets and scarves, the girls had small blankets and we went to the local shrine and waited. After 45 minutes in the cold, we got to the front and made our New Year’s wishes. It was fun, despite the cold. When we got back we had traditional New Years food which is an assortment of many yummy things, and I tried all of them. It was really good and it made me really happy. Eva and I were very full by the end of the night