Friday, December 19, 2003
Japan photos are up! Click here to see them. Only picked the nice ones tho.. Fellow tour members complain i dont use my camera enough.. and they're probably right.
Oh yes, before i forget.. dad bought a brand new Nikon DIGITAL CAMERA before the trip! I love it. (Tho admittedly i love being in photos more than taking them)
Snippets of memories from 9 days in Japan:
On Food: Sushi isnt the only thing they eat. Ramen sounds like "da bian" when spoken by a Taiwanese tour guide. Japanese must have a hell of a time washing all their bowls.. you eat from a hundred of them in a meal. Sitting on tatami mats is nicely authentic but it sure kills your legs. Never buy meats on sticks unless you can read the signs.. dad ended up buying chicken liver. Cow's tongue, cow's liver, cow's armpit.. there's not a single part of cow i havent tried. (But they're all surprisingly delicious) Japs eat RAW EGGS for breakfast! Its supposedly the best way to eat eggs! (but what about Salmonellosis?)
On Manners: Japanese always stand on the left on escalators, so there's always a clear path on the right for those who're in a rush. Singapore should adopt such a system! "Su-mi-maase" or however you spell it, can be used when saying "sorry", "thank you", and "excuse me". I only know one other word which has so many meanings and its not very polite. Excessive bowing looks funny, but it sure is flattering.
On Hot Sand: Try getting buried up to your neck in natural piping hot black sand and left to simmer for 15 mins. Its supposed to be good for your body. Next, alternate dips into piping hot spring water and a freezing cold pool, followed by a shower while squatting on a stool. All these while you're butt-naked, of course, in full view of other butt-naked guys.
On Strange Thingies: A butt-washer in many of our hotel room toilets! (We never stayed in the same hotel for two nights with the exception of the last hotel) A jet of water rudely shoots up to hard to reach places from the toilet bowl. Changing rooms have no locks on their doors. Rather, you leave your shoes outside to indicate that you're using the room. Pay-per-view TVs require you to insert a card to use them, much like a vending machine. Yours truly accidentally bought one thinking that it was a phone card. 1000 Yen ($16) wasted just like that. Some retaurants have irritating sensor systems that squark out "thank you" and other greetings in Japanese when you leave it. Time Crisis 3 has 9 lives in Japan!
On Great Company: Who could ask for a better tour group? There's Felicia, Shawn, Jasmine, and primary school friend Hien Heng who're the same age as me. Felicia with her husky voice, Filipino maid looks, mad laughter, adventure spirit, and entertaining conversations. Shawn with his Time Crisis 3 skills (he's really damn good), extensive hip-hop knowledge, late sleep-ins, long bath times, and great company. Jasmine with her Bridge skills, unable-to-lie-during-Bluff characteristics, insistence that she's a chiobu, funny striped socks, and of course her amazing mother with a killer memory, power conversations, and love for Disneyland. -grin- Of course, there're the younger ones as well, like Valerie, who can turn Disneyland teacup rides with a LOT of power, Ronald, who talks non-stop, and of course Gracia "the hamster" Sim who soooooooooooooooo cute! -pinches cheeks and pats head" 'Course they're the others whom im not so close to but they gamble like sharks. (Kids nowadays..) Like RGS sisters Michelle, Marie and sibling Mervyn (thank you for the cards!) Hein Heng's brother (i forgot his name heh), little "Dowager" and that Other Guy Whathisname. Guess the Lim and Sim family really made the difference between a yawn-inducing trip and a great one.. so thank you!
On Theme Parks: Visited Universal Studios with my family and Disneyland with the Lim and Sim family who "adopted" me for the day. Have decided i am no longer afraid of plunging boat rides as long as the plunge lasts no longer than 4 seconds. Cannot believe i consented to go on Jurrassic Park: The Ride. Disneyland rides were disappointingly low on the thrill factor, but they sure make you want to be a kid all over again. "Its a Small World" is NOT a good song to have stuck in your head. To avoid queuing, always use your "fastpass" thingiamajig. Dont believe Felicia if she claims she's a VIP. Japanese people are amazingly patient.. who else can wait 4 hours for a Disneyland parade to start or queue 70 mins for a 10 min ride? Always, always, always bring a headset so you can make some sense of Japanese jargle by tuning into the "bilingual" option. Not understanding what the guide says sure kills some of the enjoyment.
On Shopping: Its probably cause Im a guy, but i think stuff in Japan looks exactly the same as Singapore, tho they're wildly expensive. Yes, in some places, cans of Coke DO cost $4.80 (300 Yen). Its amazing how S$8 (500 Yen)can come in coin form. Shinjuku is boring despite the neon lights and funky crowd. Probably cause its full of nightclubs and girlie bars which you cant examine while with your family. Darn. Note to Lem: No i didnt see any prostitues, but i did get approached by a few guys holding leaflets with lotsa pretty girls on them. Didnt understand what they were saying tho.
On the Cold: I'm not made for winter. 3 degrees is way too cold for me. Gloves and a ski cap are essentials for weather like these, a lesson learnt after numb fingers and red ears on Mt Aso and Mt Fuji. You can still feel cold wearing cloth gloves cause the wind bites through them. Bleargh. I've discovered mankind's best invention: the heatpack! Amazing little packet of black powder which emits heat after being warmed and is man's best friend in the cold. Lovely little thing. Japanese schoolgirls should be commended for sporting miniskirts in the freezing weather, and they dont even look like they mind. (i dont mind either.. ok ok was kidding!) Trench coats just look so good dont they?
Well yeah, it was a great trip. Should have kept a diary. Tour group friends reading this do share your pics!
he rocked the party at 8:56 PM |
