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My friends have decided I won't be coming home from Japan. apparently with my luck, I'll hook up with a Yakuza mob princess, and assuming I'm not killed, will obviously have to stay in Japan and marry her. I was hanging out with my dad for Easter today, mentioned it to him expecting to have a laugh and he said "I can see that" "What!?" "Well you're familiar with knives, firearms, and hand to hand, you like the culture and you're... kinda cold when it comes to means and ends..." "....thanks dad."
So now I'm wondering how many of my friends and family basically assume I'm a super villain or chief henchman just waiting for my golden opportunity to start conquering this pathetic mudball.
I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn
Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long
Yes. I also know how I must prepare for my trip, intense physical exercise, work with a bokken and katana for some accelerated swordsmanship (Western won't be acceptable for this job) and I need to hit the range for some trigger time.
I'll see you all when the movie comes out.
I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn
Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long
Don't forget meditation, under a cascade, in the midle of the mountains. Melting ice optional.
M.
Jenkins: You don't have jurisdiction here!
Smith Jamison: We aren't here, which means when we open up on you and shred your bodies with automatic fire then this will never have happened.
About the Clans: "Those brief outbursts of sense can't hold back the wave of sibko bred, over hormoned sociopaths that they crank out though."
The centre of a massive brood chamber, heaving and pulsating.
MeanGreenStompa wrote: I thought the Kobe beef was not just a regional thing but also diet and care, I saw some show where they were given beef and massages and listened to music.
Or have I been hoodwinked?
Also, you may find this video helpful. Just make sure there's noone else around... at all...
My god, this woman is a genius. How she held a straight expression I do not know.
The question is...Who is Toshi?
Squigsquasher, resident ban magnet, White Knight, and general fethwit.
buddha wrote: I've decided that these GW is dead/dying threads that pop up every-week must be followers and cultists of nurgle perpetuating the need for decay. I therefore declare that that such threads are heresy and subject to exterminatus. So says the Inquisition!
MeanGreenStompa wrote: Also, you may find this video helpful. Just make sure there's noone else around... at all...
I'm the only human home, but even the dogs were looking at me funny when this was on
KalashnikovMarine wrote: My friends have decided I won't be coming home from Japan. apparently with my luck, I'll hook up with a Yakuza mob princess, and assuming I'm not killed, will obviously have to stay in Japan and marry her. I was hanging out with my dad for Easter today, mentioned it to him expecting to have a laugh and he said "I can see that" "What!?" "Well you're familiar with knives, firearms, and hand to hand, you like the culture and you're... kinda cold when it comes to means and ends..." "....thanks dad."
So now I'm wondering how many of my friends and family basically assume I'm a super villain or chief henchman just waiting for my golden opportunity to start conquering this pathetic mudball.
Now you just have to design an awesome super villain costume. The big question is do you wear your underwear on the outside?
Kilkrazy wrote: Used to have a house in Japan but now I am back in the UK however with a Japanese wife of 16 years I am fairly familiar with a lot of the good stuff.
If you are going to Hiroshima it is worth taking a side tour to Miyajima island which is nearby.
While going back to Tokyo, consider a day or two (or three) in Kyoto and Nara. A night in a ryokan (traditional inn) is an interesting visit in Kyoto.
Some people like Osaka. I have never been there myself but it could be worth a visit as Japan's second city. It could be put into a Hiroshima-Kyoto journey.
However, with a 14 day JR pass you can afford to go to those places as extra trips.
Some of the best onsen are in the Hakone mountain region around Lake Ashino. It can easily be reached from Tokyo on the Odakyu line. Atsugi is on the Odakyu line so it would be easy. There is a castle at Odawara near Hakone, and boat trips and mountain walking and cable cars, etc. Several nice museums including a museum of toys and an outdoor sculpture museum. Get yourself a Pasmo card for easy ticketing on Odakyu and the greater Tokyo area.
I also recommend taking the slow train from Fujisawa to Enoshima and Kamakura, also part of the Odakyu line system. It can easily be done as a day trip from Atsugi but if you want to visit both places it may be better to stay one night or go twice, depending on timing and money.
If you go north-east from Tokyo you can easily get to the Nikko area which has loads of temples etc. including the mausoleum of the first Tokugawa shogun. There are onsen in the region too.
Try to avoid the Golden Week holiday in early May if you can. Half the population is on the move and prices for hotels are at their peak.
If your brother can provide a cultural and language crib that should help you over the rough spots. While English is widely sign-posted it is less widely spoken though typically it is easy to make yourself understood when trying to spend money!
Meowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
So during ya days in Japan. You must have seen some local modelswoman
Who looks better, between those 'local modelswoman' and the russian girls seen in Europe and the USA? meow.
Take a fist full of cash to Shinjuku san chome (aka Kabukicho) in Tokyo. You'll have an awesome time. Seriously.
Beer vending machines turn off at 11 pm FYI. Also, if you buy beer or alcohol at the convenience store, you have to press the big button with "20" on it on the view screen. You have to be 20 or older to drink (even non-alcohol beer - dead serious) in Japan. If you don't look Japanese, they won't card you. "Nama o hitotsu" means "one draft beer". I'd avoid sake if you don't have the guts for it. It'll make you stomach feel like you have a bunch of angry bees in it and rot the enamel right off your teeth. Hot girls here generally don't speak English, but you can try.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/04 09:09:57
Having done some research I question the local you've recommended, but it can't be worse then TJ or some of the seedier parts of L.A. or Phoenix on a friday night.
I like sake, I've only had it served properly a few times though and the quality we get here in the States is... questionable to say the least. So I'm looking forward to getting some decent nihonshu for once. It's a little light compared to my preferred scotch and it's certainly a unique flavor of it's own. Thankfully the Japanese and I share a love of beer so I'll get along fine on the booze front. My brother and I are both of legal age to drink by a good margin now, and we both look like the mixed Euro descent American mutts we are.
As to hot girls, who dares wins. So I'll have a run at it, worst case I look briefly stupid in a country where I don't have a reputation to ruin since I'm already starting at the bottom of the heap. I suppose if I'm desperate I can always hit on cute female sailors from the base.
what's the pronunciation like on "hitotsu"?
Khorn, Killkrazy, any recommendations on grub to try? I'm always looking for new things to eat.
So during ya days in Japan. You must have seen some local modelswoman Who looks better, between those 'local modelswoman' and the russian girls seen in Europe and the USA? meow.
...I'll ah... let you know Lone?
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/04/04 10:26:25
I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn
Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long
Restaurants with native food usually specialise in one dish; for example Ramen noodles, or Tempura, or Sushi.
Non-native style restaurants have a more varied menu but usually don't have dozens of options.
There will often be set menus or lunch specials which are usually very well priced.
Some places will have a menu in English. If not, you can look at the model food displayed in the window. Prices are often displayed in Japanese numbers.
You don't tip. You never tip anywhere in Japan except if staying in a traditional inn when you give your maid a box of tea or some other small gift.
The waiter will tot up a bill and leave it on your table. New things can be added during the meal. When you want to pay, there is a till next to the door and you pay on the way out.
The lack of tipping seems so weird.. I get that America is weird in that custom, but if I were to offer to give a tip to my server, would he or she accept it? Or refuse it? would I be causing a disturbance if I tried to tip?
DR:80+S++G+M+B+I+Pwmhd11#++D++A++++/sWD-R++++T(S)DM+ Ask me about Brushfire or Endless: Fantasy Tactics
Well, ofcourse you have to ride th mythical crowded subways.
And ofcourse other normal things such as saving the world from a demon lord riding a giant wasp.
Oh, and try real sushie.
Oh, and finally, try the weird vending machines.
Try Pocari Sweat and a weird and wonderful variant of Pepsi. Where are you going? If you get to Osaka, visit the castle, it's badass! I remember going there when I was younger and it had a museum of samurai stuff. If that's your thing, go for it! Actually, try to visit any castle, because most of them are pretty impressive and in good condition. The best one probably is Himeji castle.
Kilkrazy wrote: It's hard to have a bad meal out in Japan.
...............
You don't tip. You never tip anywhere in Japan except if staying in a traditional inn when you give your maid a box of tea or some other small gift
First line is quoted for truth, second line is vital information, especially since we're looking at staying at a ryokan while in Kyoto. I would have never thought to get a little present or something.
chaos0xomega wrote: Kalashnikov, don't you have a sheltered European girlfriend who is intimidated by guns???
Nah we broke up right before I got my eyes worked on. She's such a stress case between work and school she didn't need the extra distraction.
ExNoctemNacimur wrote: Try Pocari Sweat and a weird and wonderful variant of Pepsi. Where are you going? If you get to Osaka, visit the castle, it's badass! I remember going there when I was younger and it had a museum of samurai stuff. If that's your thing, go for it! Actually, try to visit any castle, because most of them are pretty impressive and in good condition. The best one probably is Himeji castle.
I think our route back to Tokyo takes us through Osaka, that sounds like it's certainly worth a stop.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/04 16:03:04
I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn
Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long
Do so! Samurai culture, and medieval Japanese culture in general, is incredibly fascinating. Their whole honour systems and the fact that they defeated the Mongols twice (no easy feat!) is really interesting.
Bushido has always been interesting to me, especially after reading The Book of Five Rings and Hokkaido as a young martial artist. Now that I'm hopefully going to be taking up Iaido in the fall it's even more pressing to me now, and I'll probably be rereading both books while I'm in Japan. I doubt either of my copies have ever been to the homeland come to think of it.
Below is the email I just sent to my brother discussing trip planning for our time out of Tokyo. I incorporated advice I got here and else where, as well as my own research. It also quotes killkrazy at least twice directly.
Before you start making hotel arrangements or anything we need to do some planning in earnest.
I'm thinking we leave for Hiroshima on Thursday, early, Miyajima Island is right near there and I'm told it's definently worth hopping the ferry for a walk about. We can then either spend the night in Hiroshima or we can push on to Kyoto where I'd like to spend two nights and three days, in a ryokan of course. (Note, apparently in lieu of the tip we should get the maid a small present like a box of tea) Kyoto's a busy place to visit, but if we have time to back track, and for this we can probably make time, on the third day before we head back to Tokyo if we have to, we should run to Osaka and make a beeline for Osaka castle, we could potentially spend an extra day and night in Osaka, or do that before we move on to Kyoto and just take a day checking out the castle, it's attendant samurai mueseum, and briefly exploring Japan's second city.
For our next road trip, I'd say a day and night at an Onsen is something we can't miss,
"Some of the best onsen are in the Hakone mountain region around Lake Ashino. It can easily be reached from Tokyo on the Odakyu line. Atsugi is on the Odakyu line so it would be easy. There is a castle at Odawara near Hakone, and boat trips and mountain walking and cable cars, etc. Several nice museums including a museum of toys and an outdoor sculpture museum."
So another bad ass castle, onsen and a chance to get out of the cities and into more of the natural Japan. Alternately we can...
"If you go north-east from Tokyo you can easily get to the Nikko area which has loads of temples etc. including the mausoleum of the first Tokugawa shogun. There are onsen in the region too."
So that's another potential onsen trip out.
For a total of 5-6 days out of 14 out of Tokyo, aiming to get back with a couple days to relax from traveling, enjoy some good food, night life, continuing to explore Tokyo, and getting me in the proper frame of mind to get on another nightmarish 12 hour flight home... I'm gonna need a mountain waterfall and time to meditate.
On a side note, I'm really bummed out I'm missing the cherry blossom season. I figured I would because life is never perfect or simple but hey it gives me an excuse to go back!
Also glad I took the time to learn how to use chopsticks reasonably well so I don't look like a complete idiot, just most of one.
I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn
Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long
The pronunciation of hitotsu is HE-to-zu for a North American. It's a good idea to show your index finger like, 'We're number 1!' as the words for one and two when said by foreigners is very difficult to discern for Japanese. Two is Futatsu when counting generic objects. I've been here since Christ was a cowboy and am officially biringuar (get it?), but I usually have to clarify between 'one' and 'two' when buying coffee or whatever.
On Friday nights in front of the military bases there are usually girls standing around to meet guys in general. They might not be the best looking ones, but after 3 beers you'll forget about that. The base in Yokosuka is notorious for it. Kabukicho is where all the cat-houses are and soaplands. If you have tattoos they won't let you into a soapland...unless you're a member of the gang running it. lol.
These are the only snacks you should eat. Everything else, go to a restaurant and eat the wondrous variety of excellent cuisine. But these unhealthy snacks, these you must eat and drink.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/05 02:35:17
Though guards may sleep and ships may lay at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire.
Khornholio wrote: The pronunciation of hitotsu is HE-to-zu for a North American. It's a good idea to show your index finger like, 'We're number 1!' as the words for one and two when said by foreigners is very difficult to discern for Japanese. Two is Futatsu when counting generic objects. I've been here since Christ was a cowboy and am officially biringuar (get it?), but I usually have to clarify between 'one' and 'two' when buying coffee or whatever.
On Friday nights in front of the military bases there are usually girls standing around to meet guys in general. They might not be the best looking ones, but after 3 beers you'll forget about that. The base in Yokosuka is notorious for it. Kabukicho is where all the cat-houses are and soaplands. If you have tattoos they won't let you into a soapland...unless you're a member of the gang running it. lol.
No soapland for me then, and I have my brother sniffing out Onsen and Ryokan that won't be too offended by what ink I have, most of my stuff is small, in black and white, and clearly of military origin, nor do I have anything crazy like a full back piece so I'll hopefully be okay.
My brother's been in Japan for... six months now? and has had two Japanese girlfriends in that time frame, I'm sure he'll know where to pick up the chicks that aren't tag chasing.
Fifty wrote: Oh, you must drink Oronamin-C. And eat Curls.
These are the only snacks you should eat. Everything else, go to a restaurant and eat the wondrous variety of excellent cuisine. But these unhealthy snacks, these you must eat and drink.
Errr what are they? Also I want my green tea kit kats
I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn
Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long
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