WINTER & NEW YEARS IN JAPAN:
December 26th - Spent night on coach to Kyoto and met with Sal!!
December 27th
Big hugs after we finally found eachother. That station is huge!
Slowly waking up we made our way to Kobe. Reminds me of San Fran-the sea breeze, modern buildings, lots of boats by the piers. We act like 5 year olds running around playing with the huge moving animals that you can sit on and control. After a FANTASTIC big meal at Hard Rock Cafe we toddle off to Osaka...
December 28th - Okay we thought we would be random and leave the trip full of surprises.
This actually translates to "we didn't book any accomodaton". Well it resulted in us sharing a sickly pink room at a Love Hotel. 5K each for the night! Very non dodgy and actually very nice. There was even a karaoke machine and a glass cabinet of things that Sal and wouldn't be interested in-but thanks anyway!
So we toddle around, seeing the sights and chilling!
In the evening we walk around the beautifully lit, moon white Osaka Castle. A nice lady helped us find our way in the park with her dog. Sal also decided to make me scream at the top of my lungs by scaring me in the pitch black empty park! Thanks love!
Apres ca, we go to the Floating Garden Observatory...It's amazing...the view is cool and the lights gleam, the wind is very forceful indeed all the way up there. We can see a few planes taking off too. A bit disheveled we go to the highly expensive hotel below and freshen up...wouldn't it be cool if we were actually staying. Oh anyway, feeling hungry [it's winter and cold] we search Dotombori for places, although it's already 10pm now. Ah but there is hope - St James Jazz bar.....WOW what a gold mine! There are some wicked musicians 'jamming' and a couple of singers just join in. My favourite is an older middle aged lady who sings a song 'Day by Day'....and then the whole ensemble takes off in to an unplanned jam...with solos from each of the instruments. We are defo going to buy the CD.....but then the bill comes and its aaahh sixty quid. But we still think it was worth every minute.
Err another problem. The new place we are at 'Capsule Inn -Namba 31' is a mystery to the 5 taxi drivers we ask to take us there. But we finally get there after a few fonecalls.
December 29th
Yay its big fun at Universal Studios!! Woohoo...do you remember Back to the Future....Honey I Shrunk the Kids, E.T. Jurassic Park and Jaws? Hee!!
The Jaws ride is funny..."ARE!!!Sukoshi omachi kudasai"..said the boatman..."Abunai desu kara"...!!!heheeh
Night 2 at the Capsule...very cheap-for a reason..but its all good!
December 30th
Last day-Tuesday we head to Nara and enjoy the parks of Daibutsuen..there are lots of dears so Sal is happy. I think I have lost count the number of times we stopped randomly in the street to pet a stray animal. But it keeps her happy!
In the evening we dash around to find a decent place to eat...DJ Ban san helps us in Gap...he's a cool drum n base dude who DJs in Osaka! Still keeps in touch too!
After some scrummy Italian..it's time for the overnight coach to Yamanashi!
December 31st New Years Eve!!
Feeling ruff and looking worse..we sluggishly make our way back to Little Otsuki at 7am after arriving in Kofu all tired...
Back to mine...we do laundry, sleep, wake up, panic about the ATM, shower, pack and glam up for tonights all niter in Tokyo!
We get to Harajuku around 8pm and eat some Thai at the crossing after which we mett up with Gayatri, Phillip and Heather-Sal's neighbours in Kanazawa! We celebrate the New Year Nihongo stylee with go-yen coin throwing at Meiji Jingu Mae [shrine]...it's a fantastic night!!..people by the masses, stalls by the hundreds...music, voices celebration!! How cool is that! New Years in Tokyo!!
Two Thousand and Four
January 1st
Partying in Tokyo includes a coolio bar-all white with flat screen Internet ports..and a wicked DJ playing old school RnB -do you remember Jagged Edge, 112....wicked. The Media Cafe [MDA-Roppongi]
After that we hop around a few places including some dives that are full of these guys immitating P Diddy and his Bad Boy crew. Big guys with little Japanese women surrounding them-as if they were actually playas or something. It's amusing and we leave.
The last place is where we stay until it closes at 8am!
Now we are knackered and counting down the hours to check-in! Sal gets told off a few times by the Shinjuku Starbucks staff for sleeping. I'm bored and want to write but can't find any paper.
At 2pm we fall in to a DEEP sleep after showers. At night we wake up and hunt for a restaurant. Grr the Indian is closed and after ageeeees we come accross a Pub. Finally-at least something is open! It all goes well until we find meat at the bottom of our meal..eugh grosss! Does there ahve to be flesh in everything!!
Back to hotel. Back to sleep.
January 2nd
Day of the Emperor! We go to Imperial Palace to see the Emperor and his family at their home in Tokyo. This plus his birthday [Dec. 23rd] are the only two days the public is allowed to enjoy the royalty! Laurie meets us and we wave away with our red and white flags.
After that we head back to Harajuku for some shop shop shoppping!! How cool!! We both buy 2 pairs of shoes at Zara [including funky boxer boots-retro chique] and tops at Gap. Topped off with cheese at Pizza Express. Yummmmy!
And then....its not over yet!!
We head to hyper hyper Shibuya...manic or what! Sal wants these shoes so we go to Zara but then impulsively decide to go and see old Tom in the Lasto Samurai!! Last train back to Otsuki for some sleep!
