Wednesday, May 31, 2006

"I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again"

...hopefully if all goes according to plan, this year. Maybe.

I get up early (@_@)

Actually, I get up so early it was hardly worth me going to bed…

After I got back from the pub last night, and after a much needed cup of tea, it wasn’t long before I was tucked up in bed (-_-) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

To make sure that I didn’t oversleep, I’d set a wake up call on the hotel phone and Phil had also said that he’d also call me just to make sure.

I’d planned to get up at about 4:30am – giving me plenty of time to pack any remaining items into my case, check out of the hotel and be ready at the bus stop for the shuttle to the airport, but this morning I wake up at about 2:30am, and despite trying for about an hour to get back to sleep it just not happening. Bugger.

Rather than just lay here in bed staring at the ceiling I decide to get up and do what I had planned to do, only I do it just that little bit slower. Because I can.

I get ready, pack the remaining few things into my case, check out and wait for Phil in the lobby.

Phil has kindly offered to see me off (Go on!!! Get out of Japan!!! Grrr!!! LOL!) and true to his word here he is, albeit very bleary eyed and yawning like a thing that yawns a lot (can’t think of one…maybe a koala that’s been to an all night rave perhaps)

It’s not long before the coach arrives and we say our goodbyes. I leave Phil with the remainder of the tea bags that I brought with me (which are in a lot better condition than his crisps were!) as the driver loads my case into the side of the bus. Somehow I manage to climb aboard with my bulky (and bloody heavy! Ooof!) hand luggage in one hand (I’d bought a few books and I thought that carrying them would be the best thing to do to stop them getting damaged) and the mobile phone that I'd hired for the duration of my stay in the other just so I don’t forget to hand it in at Narita!

The bus pulls away and my heart sinks…I send one last text message from the phone to a dear friend and then erase all traces of my existence from it's memory.

The drive to Chitose is quite depressing. The skies have darkened again and I’m sad to be leaving Japan. About 15 minutes into the journey, it starts to rain.

I’ve had a great time here….I’ve met up with some old friends and made some great new ones, and now I’m heading back to the UK. Back to a place that's so technologically retarded in comparison and full of rude, uncaring people (O_o)

(I'd like to know what it is that Japanese people like about Britain, please tell me!)

We arrive at Chitose in plenty of time, and I go through all the usual airporty* stuff that you do at airports before boarding the flight to Narita.

The lack of sleep earlier this morning is beginning to take its toll and I struggle to keep my eyes open. I entertain myself by watching the stewardesses trying to sell hats and bags and general 'stuff’ from the ANA Sky Shop catalogue.

Touch down in Tokyo! Thankfully my case is put directly on the flight back to London so that’s one less thing that I have to worry about. I manage to find out where I hand back my mobile pretty easily and even find my way to the departure gate without too much hassle.

I wait in the departure lounge for the flight to London to start boarding. Unfortunately there’s a 45 minute delay. I just want to get on the flight and sleep. While I wait, I take a few photos of the planes that I can see outside (including a JAL one emblazoned with the Japanese football team Samurai Blue)

Yay! Time to board. I find my seat (it’s an exit seat by the window! Cool!) and get a copy of the Japan Times from a steward with a European accent usually reserved for the villain in a James Bond film who is sporting very similar hair to Jean Claude Van Damme.

I grip the seat as the plane gets ready for take off, picking up more speed as it hurtles along the runway. The ground disappearing beneath us as it’s up, up into the air!!! WoooHooo!

Eleven hours are spent in the usual mixture of eating, sleeping, going to the toilet, more eating, looking at your watch and realising that you still have 8 hours flying time to go etc, and then the final descent (which is a bit scary as the Millennium Dome looks like it could be far too near to the undercarriage as you fly over it) for landing at Heathrow.

Off the plane, and a long walk through the Terminal to pick up my case followed by more boring airporty stuff.

I stop before the guy at passport control:

“How are you?” he asks.

This surprises me as I thought that any communication with these very grumpy looking people was only usually done through a lot of intense staring and "move along" type hand gestures.

“Er...I’m ok! Bit tired though” I reply.

As soon as I open my mouth and he hears the London accent, he waves me through as the genuine article. Maybe he was unsure because of the tan that I'd picked up in Roppongi.

Finally, I make it to arrivals, where I’m met by my Brother, Sister in law and my Mum! (who thought that they might have missed me as they had seen a lot of Japanese people from an earlier JAL flight about half an hour previously)

In the car my mind wanders back to Japan...

The trip back home through the London traffic is surprisingly short, which is a good job really as I'm gasping for a nice cup of tea.

With milk.

:D

I’d like to say a big thank you to all of the following people who made my trip to Japan so much fun!

Phil and Christine: Thank you so much for everything! From helping me organise the trip in the first place to guiding me around Sapporo. I can’t thank you enough! Hope you enjoyed the crisps! :D

Yuki - Thank you for making that Saturday so much fun. I had a wonderful time :D I hope that we can meet again very soon…

Eriko and Naoko - Thanks for showing me the delights of drinking (and eating and more drinking!) at a Japanese style pub! See you again soon maybe!?

p.s. - Naoko. You are crazy. There's no doubt about it! ;) Email me when you get the chance!!!

Akimi – Thanks for making trips to Brian Brew so much fun! It was great chatting to you! P.S - the chips were delicious!!! :P Email me!!!

The rest of the staff at Brian Brew – Thank you!!! My favourite Japanese (Irish) pub!

The staff of the Toyoko Inn (Susukino) - Hello to all the people on the reception desk and the cleaner who wished me “Ohayo Gozaimasu” every morning! Thank you! :D

The staff of the The Tokyo Green Hotel Ochanomizu - Especially the woman on reception with the life saving paperclip! Thank you! :D

The staff of the Hotel 330 Grande Sapporo - Thank you!!! :D (You might want to think about changing the music in the lifts though…)

The people who helped me when I got lost in Tokyo – Thank you soooooo much!!!

All the ANA airport staff at Narita and Chitose - For helping me when I didn’t have a clue where I was going – Thank you so much!!! :D

The ANA air stewards and stewardesses (especially the one that had to sit opposite us on the Pikachu plane back from Tokyo! Poor you! LOL!)

The people in the little tourist information hut in Odori Park – Thank you! :D

The people of Japan who I encountered on a daily basis – Thanks! I love you all!!! Hahaha! :D

*Airporty © Colin 2006


Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Lovely Hall!

This morning I wake up as early as I possibly can, as it’s my last full day in Japan and I want to make the most of it. My mood, once again is as grey as the clouds outside. I really don’t want to go home, and curse myself for not booking another week at least (Although if I had booked another week, I think I still would have felt like this)

:(

I get ready while watching the last part of Pearl Harbour which is showing on the movie channel in the hotel and resist the urge to wave my Kyokujituki flag out of the window. It must have started pretty early, as the film is two thirds of the way through already.

I spend part of the morning packing most of my stuff into my suitcase. As I’m leaving for the airport at about six in the morning tomorrow I don’t want to leave it until the last minute. Besides, it’ll give me some indication as to how much space I have left when I go for one last shopping blowout with Phil! Hahaha!

With most of the packing done, I pop out for a bite to eat and true to form, I end up once again in Odori Park to eat it!

After finishing lunch, I take a few last pictures here and take a short walk between the fountains and the TV Tower before heading back to the hotel.

I meet Phil in the lobby and we head out to Tokyu Hands. Although it's still pretty overcast, the rain is staying away.

After this morning’s packing exercise, I’m already finding it difficult to shut my flight case but seem to conveniently forget this while I’m out. I decide I can just about squeeze another couple of t shirts in there and get the ones that I didn’t get the first trip. Phil is rather taken with the Japanese pavement design one and decides to indulge. Unfortunately they don’t have his size so he opts for the next one up (the smaller one is a bit too ‘clingy’ Hahaha!)

T shirts purchased, we head upstairs. I want to get some UV reactive plastic tubing while I'm here (I have no idea what I’m going to use it for, but as it's hard to get in the UK, I thought I’d buy some just in case! LOL!)

Phil kindly asks the assistant to measure it all out as I don’t know the Japanese for “two metres of this one, this one and that one please!”

We stop off at a few more shops to get some last minute ‘essentials’ (ok, more like ‘last minute impulse purchases because I’m in Japan and it’s impossible to get it in the UK/they do have it in the UK but it’s bloody expensive’)

Back home (Whoops! Home? I mean hotel! Bit of a Freudian slip maybe??? Ha!) to drop off the t shirts, UV tubing (God know what customs will think of this if I get stopped!) Origami paper, and assorted other stuff.

I change and meet Phil for one last evening out in Sapporo. As we’re probably (alright, you know me too well by now…definitely) going to be spending a good portion of the evening in the pub, we decide to line our stomachs with a good old Freshness burger. I’d been meaning to try one of these since I got here, so now is as better time as any…

I decide to have the breakfast burger which consists of a bun full of scrambled egg with bits of meat (I hope it’s meat) inside, plus some fries, onion rings and a strawberry smoothie which is so thick it’s making my face hurt just attempting to suck it up the straw.

Next it’s off to Brian Brew! (No surprise there I hear you say) for a drink or two (or maybe three or four)

We sit and talk, discussing the high points (Oooh lots of them! Too many to mention) and low points (No milk for tea in Mc Donald’s Bah!) of my time in Japan.

We talk to Akimi (most of what I say I suspect, is incoherent rubbish. That’s what three Moscow mules do to you. Sorry Akimi! Hahaha!) and eat chips.

As much as I would like to stay here until they kick us out, I do have an early flight tomorrow, so we decide to have one last drink (or two!) and I make the very sensible decision (:O Gasp I hear you say!) and go for a plain and simple cola. Akimi looks shocked that I don’t order something vodka based. I tell that that I was tempted to ask for a cup of tea to which she replies "I would refuse to serve you if you did!" Hahaha!

Akimi suggests that we go to Bar Jersey in the Tanukikoji shopping arcade (she probably wants to us to go so she can preserve her sanity, but as I’ve had too much to drink already and I having too much fun being cheeky to her we decided to stay put)

All to soon the time comes for us to leave Brian Brew :(

I say goodbye to Akimi and leave with a promise that she’ll take me clubbing at Precious Hall (Phil and I have trouble remembering the name…Lovely Hall? Nice Hall? No that’s not right…) the next time I return to Sapporo.

On the way back to my hotel, Phil and I check the time of the Shuttle bus to Chitose Airport (which stops very near the hotel) before leaving me to wobble up to the reception desk with a huge stupid grin on my face.

As I enter the lift, my stupid grin turns upside down as I suddenly remember again that I’ve got to get up early.

(>_<) Bah!

Monday, May 29, 2006

Sergeant Frog!

It's the last few days before I head back home and I’m really starting to get p*ssed off now.

I decide to spend a good part of this morning in Odori Park and the surrounding area to the North. I’m hoping to take to take a few final photos and do a bit of scouting around in preparation for my return trip (hopefully sooner rather than later!) The weather is overcast, but at least it’s not raining.

I noticed on an earlier trip (to my disappointment) that the area North of the park is nowhere near as lively as the area South, but I thought I’d have another look around as I may have missed something interesting before…

Stopping off for another cup of tea in Mc Donald’s, and accepting yet another packet of free tissues (That must be about the 20th packet that I've picked up while I've been here) from a smiling (but rather bored looking) girl I head back to the park to sit down and have some lunch.

As I wait at the crossing, a coach stops almost opposite me. A young girl of about 12 years old sitting on the back seat looking out of the window suddenly notices the strange Western man (me!) outside smiles and starts to wave. I laugh and wave back. Her head disappears into the dark interior only to return 5 seconds later with various other heads and arms smiling and waving! The traffic lights change and the coach moves off. Little arms still swaying in the rear window as it drives off into the distance.

(I did have an earlier encounter with a group of high school kids earlier in the week as I was walking through Odori Park. As they approached, one of the girls said “hello hello” to me. “Hi” I replied as I passed, causing simultaneous bowing of heads and lots of giggling amongst them!)

After another nice relaxing lunch in the park, I head back to the Donki Shop to try and find the movies I was looking for yesterday. Trying to remember where the DVD/Music section was from when I went there with Yuki, I accidentally stumble upon the section full of Japanese capsule toys.


After about half an hour searching through all of the neatly bagged figures, I take several to the till, before heading off to find the section that I actually came in here to look for. Once again, as with the shop I looked in the day before, even finding the section that I need to start searching in is nigh on impossible, so I resign myself to failure and decide to look for the movie on the internet when I get back to the UK.

As I was nearing the end of my time in Japan and I’d managed to accumulate an humongous amount of small change, I thought I’d try to lighten the load rattling around in my pockets by spending it. Now, I’m pretty sure that Mr Japanese shopkeeper will be most annoyed to find out that I’m going to pay for something that’s worth 10,000 Yen all in 100 Yen coins, so I decide to go into the arcade nearby and dispose of some in the UFO grabber machines.

Locating one containing a prize that I want to win, I stick my money in the slot.


The first couple of attempts are pretty pathetic, the mechanical claw just nudging the toy like a surly cat playing with a dead gerbil. I stick a few more coins in and with a sharp eye to line up the claw with the toy and a bit of luck I claim my first prize! (Not sure what the Japanese name for the character is, but here he’s known as Sergeant Frog!) This run of luck continues for the next twenty minutes or so until I’ve accumulated a small haul of about fourteen prizes. Three Sergeant Frog characters, seven cute squishy dolphin (at least I think they’re supposed to be) toys in various colours and four assorted robots)

Just as I start to look around for the next machine to play, I notice that the arcade has become very crowded. I think school has finished for the day as the place is suddenly filled with dozens of high school girls all heading for the Purikura machines. I think this is a good time to leave before I drown in a sea of high pitched giggles and crêpes…

The rest of the afternoon is spent just wandering around and taking a last look at some of my favourite parts of the city.

Back to the hotel to have a bit of a rest and a cup of tea. This evening I’m going to meet up with Eriko and Naoko again.

I meet Eriko in the hotel lobby (I’m slightly late because I was engrossed in a Japanese drama on the TV! Hahaha! Sorry Eriko!) and we head off to a tiny bar in the Tanukikoji shopping arcade. When I say tiny I really mean it. It’s probably one of the smallest places that I’ve seen. It’s also very empty as there is only one other customer in here. The centre piece of its cosy interior design style is a pigs leg in cling film in a kind of vice like contraption lovingly displayed on the bar!

We have one drink here before heading off to meet Naoko in one of the underground walkways underneath the arcade and then make our way onto the second and final place for the evening.

This is a more traditional looking place with small booths containing a low table and even lower chairs. We leave our shoes outside and settle down.

Eriko and Naoko explain some of the items on the menu and decide to order a few different dishes so I can try some things that I've never tried before.

We order some drinks and I opt for a rum and coke. Ten minutes later the rum and coke arrives. Unfortunately the rum and coke is missing a vital ingredient, namely the rum!

We drink, eat and chat. The evening has been a lot of fun and I’m glad I was able to meet some great new friends while I was here! :D

Unfortunately, time flies and it’s soon time to go. Eriko and Naoko point me in the direction of my hotel (hey, Sapporo looks so different at night. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!) and disappear in to the night.

Back in my room I make a cup of tea and switch on the TV…

One more day to go.

Sh*t.


:(

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Squelch!

This morning starts with another AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

It’s getting closer and closer to the time that I have to go back home and I don’t want to go :’(

I leave the hotel and go for a walk. Almost immediately it starts to rain, making my melancholy even worse (Apparently the word ‘melancholy’ comes from the Greek word melancholia. Melan = black and chole = bile. The condition was once thought to be due to an excess of black bile in the body. Er…nice!)

Anyway, I continue my exploration of Sapporo, stopping for a cup of tea at Mc Donald’s which I purchase with the usual “point and ask in bad Japanese” method that’s proved very successful on previous occasions.

I was on the look out for the Japanese science fiction film “Zeiram” while I was here (this is a live action version of a popular anime) so I also stop to look around a large book and DVD store just north of Odori Park. This place isn’t that big, but it’s well stocked, with shelves jam packed with a huge amount of stuff. It’s almost impossible to find anything as it is, but with all the signs being in Japanese too (as it would be) I decide to give up my quest and try somewhere else.

The sky turns a dirty grey outside and the rain has really started to come down now, but luckily I make it to the Tanukikoji shopping arcade just in time (It’s become almost like a second hotel the amount of time I’ve walked along it! If it wasn’t for the fact that the seating is all padlocked in the ‘up’ position every night, it would be easier for me to sleep here!) The forecast says that it’s likely to rain the rest of the time that I’m in Sapporo, and I think that they could be right. All I have to do now is make it from the arcade back to my hotel without getting too soaked.

Back at the hotel, I squelch up to the reception desk, collect my key and go to my room to change and have a bite to eat. I watch a bit of TV while eating. It’s quite addictive actually, even though I can’t understand anything that anybody is saying.

Afternoon arrives and I meet with Phil and Christine again and head up towards the shopping arcades in Sapporo Station. It’s still raining quite heavily but luckily I remember to wear my coat this time. Unluckily though it’s also turned quite windy so the hood spends most of the time not actually on my head.


We’ve come to a place called Village Vanguard which is located within a huge shop called Loft. It’s mostly kitsch that’s on sale here, but they do have a few nice items as well (including a book of cut out Japanese street scenes!)

With a few minor purchases made (some stickers!) we take a look around some of the other (mostly clothes) shops. You may be surprised to learn that I didn’t buy any t shirts Gasp!!!

Shopping done, Phil and Christine head back home while I go back to the hotel to dry off for a second time in one day. It's a good job that I packed more than enough clothes for my trip as otherwise I would of had to consider using the trouser press in my room to help dry out some clothes!

Evening arrives. I get ready and wait for Phil and Christine down in the hotel lobby. Using the free connection to the internet to check my emails, I kill some time until they arrive. At the same time as they walk up to the front of the hotel, the screen on the computer that I’m using freezes, leaving my personal emails for the whole of the world (well, anyone that’s in the hotel lobby. Let’s not get too dramatic here!) to see. I’m sure you’ve all experienced those occasions where the quicker you try to do something, the longer it takes to do. This is one of those occasions and it seems like an eternity before I can regain control of the computer and shut down my email, leaving poor Phil and Christine huddled together under the umbrella outside (it’s still raining quite heavily) while I do.

Giving my apologies while explaining the reason why I was standing in the hotel lobby shaking my fist at the computer while they look at me bemused from the other side of the glass, we all head off for yakiniku at Nankouen (Minami-6 branch!) about 10 minutes down the road. Although it is only a short distance away, the wind is driving the rain almost horizontally into us, so by the time we get there we’re pretty wet.

We sit down, order drinks and wait. Phil explains the principal of yakiniku to me (Order meat. Cook meat. Dunk (hopefully) cooked meat into the provided dipping sauce. Eat) while the waiter fires up the grill in the middle of the table (providing us with a welcome source of heat) He takes our food order and disappears out the back, returning a few minutes later with our drinks.

The meat arrives. Plate after plate of (thinly sliced) meat. It’s a meat parade!!! YAY! All kinds are here. Some with a marinade, some without. It’s a meat feast! A vegetarian’s nightmare! It’s also the best thing I’ve had to eat while I’ve been here!

I try some Kimchee. It’s a kind of Korean side dish made from cabbage, cucumbers, or radish roots seasoned with a Kimchee salted sauce, and then fermented or pickled in brine. A bit like sauerkraut.

It’s hot. It’s very hot…I like spicy things, but this I’m not too keen on...

We eat, drink (in my case, mostly to get rid of the taste of the Kimchee that’s still on my tongue. Yeuch! XP) and chat.

With enough meat consumed to equate to an animal the size of a large sofa, we head off into the night, past the slightly car park-esque looking entrance to the hostess bar next door (The only difference being is that car parks don’t have large pictures of young, very glamorous looking ladies with huge eyelashes in strange poses up on the wall. Not the ones in the UK at least)

Outside, we say our goodbyes and head off in our separate directions. I reach the hotel and collect my (already waiting! Hahaha!) key from reception, my shoes making a noise like a sea lion with bad colic on the highly polished floor as I head for my room to dry off for the forth and final time of the day.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Kagi ni – zero – ku, kudasai!

Aaarrrggghhh!!!

It’s the Last Saturday in Japan. Bugger.


Since returning from Tokyo, time is going fast. Too fast.

I go through the usual routine:


Cup of tea

Breakfast

More tea

Watch cartoons

Get ready

Time for more tea?

Nope, I'd better head off downstairs to meet Phil and Christine.

This morning we’re all off to the Hokkaido Shrine (Hokkaido Jingu) which is sort of situated within Maruyama park.

Stopping off to pick up some lunch in a convenience store on the way, we jump on a train for the short journey.

We reach the Shrine just in time to catch the last part of a traditional Shinto Wedding. It's a bit strange standing here watching people that I don't know and I feel that somehow I'm intruding, but no one appears to mind.

Wedding over, we take a look around the shrine then find a quiet spot to sit down to have lunch. As we sit down, a huge crow lands and decides to take up residence near us. Eyeing up our lunch, he craftily makes his way towards where we're sitting only to be chased away by Christine.


A few minutes later he tries again, slowly edging his way towards us, only to be chased away again by Phil. This continues for about 10 or 15 minutes before he finally gives up and disappears (the crow, not Phil)

With lunch finished we head up towards Maruyama itself. “Aha!” I think to myself “A nice gentle climb up to the top of a small hill” (O_o)

I’m not even a quarter of the way up Maruyama and already I’m exhausted. Christine and Phil power ahead while I stop and take a rest using the excuse that I’m taking pictures of the many (well about 83 in total) Jizo-san that are scattered along the trail.

As we continue our trek to the summit, we encounter a few other climbers heading in the opposite direction, greeting each of them with a cheery “konnichiwa!” and as we pass and greet each other, I’m also trying not to accidentally stumble over the edge as parts of the path are quite narrow. I can trip up on completely flat floors so this is dangerous ground for me…

Finally, after what seems like forever we reach the top and look out over Sapporo in all of it’s um…… er……“Sapporoness” (Sorry, couldn’t think of a better word – Suggestions gratefully received in the comments section! LOL!)

“I think we can get a bit closer to the edge” says Phil, but as it’s quite windy here at the summit I’m quite happy to stay where I am and cling to some handy rocks, wedging myself in as I take some pictures of the city sprawl in front of me.

There’s a slight haze over the city, and it’s actually a lot bigger than I thought it was. The view is definitely worth the effort of the climb.

We spend some time gazing out into the distance, with Phil pointing out some of the main architectural delights of the city (including the Sapporo dome, the TV tower and his flat)

Full to the brim of “Sapporoness” we head back down the other side of Maruyama and yes, although it’s a quicker journey it’s also a bit more hazardous as sometimes its quite difficult to stop once the momentum of going down a steep slope kicks in.


We reach the bottom (in one piece – Yay!) and head off to our second destination for the day - The Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art. Some of the artwork was amazing, some of it was not so amazing, but hey! That’s modern art for you! You need to check it out for yourselves :D

One quick trip around the Museum (and the gift shop!) later, we head back in the direction of our respective homes/hotel as we're off out again later for a meal.

Back at the hotel. Time for the “ordeal of the key” (O_o)

In preparation for this momentous task, on the way back from the Museum Phil teaches me how to ask for the key to my room in Japanese and I think I can just about manage remember it.

I walk up to the reception desk, full of confidence, take a deep breath and ask the yellow uniformed girl behind the desk “Kagi ni – zero – ku kudasai” A huge beaming smile breaks out across her face as she hands me my key immediately (I think she was holding it in her hand) I’m stunned…

It turns out that because I’ve asked for the key so many times, they now recognise me and know which key it is off by heart, so as soon as they see me enter the hotel they already have it in hand by the time I reach the desk!

Evening comes and I meet Phil and Christine again as we’re off to meet another one of Phil’s friends Miwako (Hello Miwako!) at Kopitiam which is located in the Tanukikoji shopping arcade. Kopitiam is a very loud and vibrant Singapore bar restaurant type place which is perfect for an evening of fun, but not so perfect for people who want to sit and have a conversation. It becomes very apparent how difficult especially as Miwako also finds my London accent hard to understand.

Despite the odd blip in conversation, a good time is had by all. We leave Kopitiam and head our own separate ways.

As it’s still relatively early, I decide to take a walk around the brightly lit streets of Susukino before grabbing tomorrows breakfast at a convenience store and making my way back to the hotel, smiling to myself as I know that my key will probably already be waiting for my return…

:D

Friday, May 26, 2006

Riot Police Vs Extremists!

Friday morning!

I get up and potter about, taking my time getting ready for the day ahead.

It’s so nice to be able to get up and not have to hurry. Back at home in the UK it’s always a rush to get up, eat breakfast, get ready and go to work (even though I still always end up being late Hahaha!) so I’m going to enjoy the more relaxed slower pace while I’m here.

I take a long time
(ooh, at least 10 seconds) carefully weighing up all the options for today before finally deciding on shopping (You can read me like a book can't you?) :D

I head out into the lovely Sapporo morning and aim for Tokyu Hands. I’ve passed this place on a few occasions on previous shopping excursions, and decided that it needed some serious time devoted to it at a later date. Well, it’s a later date and I’m here itching to do some serious damage to my finances. Maybe.

It doesn’t take long after I enter before I notice a display of t shirts. I spend half an hour or so trying to decide which ones I like the best (Oooh, that's nice...but then again I like that one…aaarrrggghhh!!! Now…do I get it in black or dark blue???…Gah!!!)

I finally decide on one which has an silhouetted picture of a riot police officer indulging in some “crowd control” with a truncheon and bearing the slogan “Riot Police Vs Extremists” and a rather nice Japanese pavement design.

The rest of the morning is spent just wandering around Tokyou Hands with it's many floors of “stuff”

I could spend a huge amount of money here, but luckily common sense prevails and reminds me that I still have to take this all back to the UK.

Limiting myself to some nicely designed greetings cards and stationary from the huge selection on the top floor, I bid farewell to one of my favourite shops and decide to get some lunch.


I head up to Odori Park, stopping en route to pick up a sandwich and a large bag of pizza flavoured crisps (with bits of real cheese!) at a convenience store and get a drink from one of the many dispensing machines that can be found everywhere. I eat lunch in Odori. This is rapidly becoming one of my favourite places in Sapporo. It’s a nice way to spend some time, just sitting there watching the world go by. As the weather is good, people appear to be very relaxed and happy which is always nice to see.

Lunch finished, I head once again to shopping area to explore some more.

As I wait to cross the road between blocks in the Tanukikoji shopping arcade. I hear a siren in the distance. Now, if you are ever in the UK and you’re at a road crossing and hear a siren, I recommend that you stop and wait for whichever emergency vehicle it is to pass. They have an alarming tendency to run people over.

With this at the back of my mind, I stop and wait for the Ambulance to pass, thinking how brave (or stupid) the people who have decided to risk crossing are.

Just as the Ambulance reaches the crossing, I notice the guy in the passenger seat turning towards me and another woman (who has also decided to play it safe and wait) bowing and mouthing the words “arigato gozaimasu” as they pass! It may have been my imagination, but they even appear to slow down as they reach us so they can do it! LOL!

(I love the way that emergency vehicles in Japan always have someone informing the public that “This is the Police/Ambulance/Fire Engine, Please move out of the way” through a loud speaker as they speed along! – I’ve seen a solo Police officer do this while driving, which was funny as she wouldn’t have had full control of the car or have been paying close attention to the road!)

I locate the Hysterical Glamour store in one of the quieter streets. This is a rather trendy and fashionable place to be buying clothes from, so I’m not sure if I’m going to be cutting edge enough to warrant a look inside!

With this in mind, I try to be all cool and sophisticated as I wander from rail to rail, not noticing the raised lighting in the centre of the floor. My foot catches the edge and I stumble, not enough to fall ove completely, but just enough for me to get embarrassed and for the assistant to politely stifle a laugh.

After a quick exit from the shop, I wander around a bit more, this time to the north of Odori Park. I take a few photographs of anything that interests me (buildings, signs and even a lamp post)

As I wander, I begin to notice strange little things...Things that probably most people who live here take for granted.

Things like: Why is it that no matter what time you go out, morning, afternoon or evening there are high school girls wandering around? (O_o)

The little speakers that shout out adverts to passers by which are almost impossible to understand (even if I could speak fluent Japanese, It’s hard to hear them over the noise of the traffic)

The noise that indicates that it’s safe to cross the road is different when going from East to West than it is when going from North to South…(people of Sapporo listen next time you go out, you'll know what I mean)

Anyway…back to the hotel it is, and it’s time to go through the routine of trying to retrieve my key.

Once again I go through about three levels of authority before being able to collect my key. I head upstairs for a cup of tea and get ready for the evening.

Evening arrives and I’m off with Phil to meet Eriko, a friend of his at Brian Brew (Going to Brian Brew??? Surely not!??? LOL!)

We meet Eriko outside and take up position on some of the comfy seats upstairs, chatting and drinking as most people usually do when sitting in a pub. I say hi to Akimi who is serving some very noisy people who are sitting in the corner. A little while later we’re joined by Naoko, a friend of Eriko. A bit more chatting and a bit more drinking later, Phil has to leave, so Eriko and Naoko decide to take me onto a Japanese style pub for something to eat. Oh yeah, and more drinking…

After lots of eating and drinking (I think you can probably write the rest of this yourself now) We head out into the lively Sapporo streets, Eriko and Naoko kindly pointing me in the direction of my hotel.

I go up to the counter to collect my key. Yes, there’s the usual hassle, but I don’t mind. I had a good evening…I stumble back to my room for some much needed sleep.

:D

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Kyokujituki!

This morning I get up at about 10:00am. I think that the hectic Tokyo schedule has tired me out, so I take my time in getting ready for the day of exploring ahead. I have breakfast while watching a Korean drama on TV (At least I think it is...there seems to be a lot of crying involved, and Phil told me that’s generally a good way of distinguishing between Korean and Japanese drama) and then head out to Nakajima Park (which is near the first hotel that I stayed at) to take some pictures of the cherry blossom before it all finally disappears.

I reach the park, enter the gates and start to walk around. The first thing I notice is how huge it is (It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. For some reason I imagined it to be a small place with a bit of grass and a couple of trees. And maybe a squirrel eating a nut)

The park is really beautiful (but then, all Japanese parks seem to be) and I spend quite a bit of time just sitting by the boating lake and enjoying the sunshine. As I walk around taking pictures, an elderly Japanese gentleman offers to take a photo of me standing in front of Hoheikan (a white painted Western style wooden building that the Meiji Government constructed as a hotel in 1880) which I accept. I also get to practice speaking some Japanese by thanking him and saying goodbye. He didn’t laugh at my attempt, so I think my pronunciation was ok.

After leaving Nakajima, I have a quick scout around the immediate area before I head back up towards the centre of Sapporo (There’s shopping to be done don’t you know!)

Feeling a strange urge to return, I go back to the Tanukikoji shopping arcade, start at one end and work my way along to the other. I stop off at a shop that I’d noticed before I went to Tokyo (mainly because it had an armband with a swastika on display in the window. Not the sort of thing that you usually see in a shopping arcade) I go in and have a look around. It’s a strange mixture of plastic mecha kits, tacky gifts, weapons, model railway accessories and…and…do my eyes deceive me??? No! It is!!! Japanese flags! Yay! (for those of you that read my other blog you would probably know that one of the things that I wanted to track down while I was here was a Japanese Naval flag (or Kyokujituki to give its official name)

I head back towards my hotel (with an excited spring in my step! LOL!) and go to Matsuya which is just across the road for lunch. This is the same place that Phil and I had lunch at on the first day in Tokyo, so I’m familiar with the routine of choosing from the selection of dishes displayed on the ticket dispensing machine, putting the money in the slot and then handing the resulting ticket in at the counter. I sit down and once again practice my chopstick skills by eating the fried egg that’s comfortably sitting on top of my meal only to look up and notice that a young girl sitting across form me is eating the exact same thing but using a fork! Hahaha! Time to feel very smug indeed!

With lunch finished, I start round two of shopping, walking up and down each street in the main shopping area in turn, taking a look in any shop that catches my eye. I stop for a cup of tea in Mc Donald’s, successfully ordering a cup of tea (When I say order, I mean I point at the picture of a cup of tea that’s on the very handy menu and say “kore kudasai” LOL!) The only complaint that I have with Japan is that they only serve cream with hot drinks (tea and coffee) and as I usually take semi skimmed milk (healthy me! LOL!) back in the UK it takes a bit of getting used to.

Tea break over and done with I recommence shopping. I discover ‘Central’ a huge shop full of stationary, art supplies, greeting cards and a multitude of other stuff. I’m in heaven!!! Why can’t shops of this kind back in the UK be as good as this??? Two hours and a much lighter wallet later, I head back to the hotel with a small mountain worth of Origami paper, stickers, greeting cards and stationary (I resisted the temptation of the blue bubble wrap. It was difficult, but I was strong!!!)

With weary legs I return to the hotel, walk up to the reception desk and ask for the key.The young receptionist in a yellow uniform gives me a nervous smile followed by a slightly confused look. “One minute please” she says and disappears. She returns with a slightly older woman who is wearing a pink uniform. Once again I ask for the key to room 209…The pink suited receptionist also gives me a nervous smile followed by a slightly confused look. “One minute please” she says and also disappears, while the yellow suited one quietly moves to the side (probably to breath a sigh of relief that she’s managed to pass the problem onto someone else!) She returns with an even older blue suited woman. Once again I ask for the key and without hesitation the picks the key up from the shelf behind and hands it to me.“Phew!” I think to myself “That was fun” (O_o)

I return to my room, check out the new stuff that I've just bought, make myself a cup of tea, watch some TV and relax...

Evening time arrives and I decide to go to Brians Brew for dinner. After a twenty minute walk around trying to find it (it’s actually only five minutes from my hotel) I call Phil to ask directions. Just as he’s explaining how to get there, I find it by accident.

I locate a nice cosy spot at the end of the bar, perch myself atop one of the barstools and order a Moscow Mule and something to eat.

While waiting, an American guy comes in with some friends. I recognise him from an earlier visit, and apparently it’s his Birthday.


So much for the nice quiet evening at the pub.

Bugger.

About twenty minutes, one Moscow Mule and a portion of fish and chips later, a mysterious figure enters the pub and disappears into the kitchen. After a bit of frenetic activity behind the scenes, it's revealed that the mysterious figure is a belly dancer, hired to perform for the American guy.

She shimmies into the centre of the pub, wearing full Turkish costume and begins to dance. It’s a good job that belly dancing doesn’t require a lot of space, as there isn’t any since more of the American guys friends have since turned up, intent on having a party.

With song one over, the dancer whips out some tiny finger tip cymbals and begins to dance once again, “tinging” in time to the second tune that's started to play.

Unfortunately, this is a very long song which seems to go on forever, and about a third of the way through her “tinging” gets decidedly wobbly and she looses the beat.

Despite that, she gets a rousing reception with lots of applause, and then disappears as quick as she arrived.

I decide on one last drink, say a quick hi to Akimi (who has appeared from somewhere out the back) and head back to the hotel. Luckily I’m better at finding my way from pub to hotel than from hotel to pub.

It must be the vodka that’s honed my sense of direction…


Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Sayonara Tokyo!

Tokyo Day 3:

Ohayo Gozaimasu!

Today is our last day in Tokyo and I must say that our trip has gone pretty fast. We’ve managed to pack a lot into the past two days though, and today is going to be no different. We have to check out at 10:00 am but the flight back to Sapporo isn’t until 9:30 tonight, so we leave our bags at the hotel and head off.

First stop: The Honda centre!

Phil wants to take a quick look at the cars that they have, but as we enter who do we see!??? Asimo!!! Wooohoo! :D Cool! A party of high school boys are sitting in front of a small staged area, looking rather bored at the presentation in front of them (I suppose as Japan is probably the centre of the robot kingdom, this kind of hi technology is commonplace!) and as Asimo does his thing I stand and watch (all excited like a small child hehehe!) while taking video footage. I stand transfixed as Asimo talks, dances, stands on one leg, walks backwards and lots of other stuff.

At the end of the presentation, the Honda lady (who was controlling Asimo from the side) invites the boys onto the stage for a photo opportunity. Can we have one too!??? I think, but although she looks over at us, the invitation is not forthcoming :(

Presentation over, we take a quick look around the rest of the centre (picking up a few brochures, as Phil gets far too comfy in a nice blue car!) We leave (still buzzing from seeing Asimo in the flesh...well, technically it's metal but you know what I mean) and make our way down to Aoyama Cemetery to have a look around.

We pick our way through the cemetery looking at the numerous grave stones and monuments. The weather today is rather hot and humid, so we try to find somewhere to sit and rest. Amazingly (for a cemetery) we can find no seats anywhere, so we find the nearest shady spot to stop, take a drink and rest.

Next it’s off to the Nogi Shrine.

This is where General Nogi and his wife famously committed suicide after the death of the Meiji Emperor in 1912 to show their loyalty. Visitors are only allowed inside on one day of the year (Phil, correct me if I'm wrong!) but you can look through the window at the actual spot where it happened.

One short walk along a busy road later and we come to Roppongi, a big entertainment area with many bars and clubs (many of them looking like they're frequented by ladies wearing not many clothes if you know what I mean!)

I don’t know whether it’s the heat and humidity that’s adding to the feeling, but it doesn’t really seem like I'm in Tokyo here. I’ve never been to Singapore, but I can imagine it to be pretty much like this for some strange reason.

We find the Tokyo Tower (not that difficult as it er…towers above most other buildings) and have a look around the souvenir stalls selling all manner of “quality” items (“Hello Kitty dressed as Godzilla climbing up the Tokyo Tower mobile phone dangly thing anyone?” Actually I wish now that I had got one)

Unfortunately we don’t have time to go up inside, but it’s probably a good thing as we’re both so overwhelmed by the craftsmanship of the items for sale that a trip up the tower would probably be too much excitement for us :D

To calm ourselves down, we make a detour to Daimon, where we pick up a bite to eat in a convenience store and have lunch in a little seated area across the road from the temple that we’re going to see this afternoon. With lunch over and done with we head over to the temple. This place is huge. Probably one of the most impressive places that I’ve seen so far.

In the grounds of the temple are small Jizo-san. These are stone statues that guard the temple. All of them are wearing small knitted hats with a child’s bib secured firmly around the neck. I find out from Phil that these statues represent the souls of deceased children, with people “adopting” them, dressing them up and leaving small offerings. These statues are very cute when you see them, but it’s very sad when you realise what they signify.

Next stop Tokyo Station, and the 35th floor of the Marunouchi building with breathtaking views of Tokyo. Lots of pictures later and with time now running short, we meet up with Mayu (hello Mayu!) a friend of Phil and take a walk to the edge of the Imperial Palace. It’s now started to rain quite heavily, so one walk up to the gates and back before we all head to the station.

By the time we reach the hotel to pick up our bags and make our way to the Airport, the skies have opened. We collect our stuff from behind reception (who also kindly give us towels to help us dry off a bit! Thank you!!!) and say good bye to Tokyo.

A quick dash to the station (not easy with heavy bags!) before we catch the monorail back to Haneda, amusing ourselves (actually it was only me! LOL!) on the journey by pulling silly faces at a small child.

Go through the usual airporty stuff (Yay! Airporty!) which also includes a one hour delay (because of the weather) before we actually take off, but as we get to fly back to Sapporo on the ANA Pikachu plane, I forgive them!

Luckily, we get good seats on the plane (exit seat by the window! Wooo!) and settle down for the flight ahead.

It’s only a minute or two before the stewardess comes over and asks us if we want a drink (completely ignoring the businessman at the end or our row, much to his annoyance! LOL!) and as she takes her seat for take off (she’s sitting opposite) we notice that she's listening into our conversation, but trying very hard not to look as if she is listening. We also notice her trying not to laugh as we chat about everything from plane crashes to blinding yourself by accident while trying to remove boiled sweets from the wrapper.

I don’t know her name, but if you are or know the stewardess who was on the ANA Pickachu flight from Tokyo to Sapporo (the last one of the day on the 24th May) who had to spend part of the flight sitting opposite two strange English guys talking rubbish, then email me and say hi!

To cut a long story short, we take off, fly over Japan for a bit, land, get off the plane (I manage to get two ANA Pikachu cups for souvenirs!) get on the train and go back to Sapporo. Phew!

I head off back to Phil’s place to pick up my case (and finally give him his salt and vinegar crisps! LOL!) and he kindly shows me the way to Toyoko Inn (Susukino) my second hotel in Sapporo.

Time for a quick cup of tea, then off to bed exausted...

(-_-) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Sumimasen, Tokyo Green Hotel wa doko desu ka???

Tokyo Day 2:

I actually remembered to get breakfast the night before (a very nice croissant type thing with chocolate chips. Yum! :P) from the convenience store across the road, but forgot to bring any of my teabags with me to Tokyo. So after a refreshing drink of plain water (er...yum?) I get ready for the day ahead.

We head off to Koishikawa Korakuen (“Korakuen” literally meaning “garden of enjoyment afterward”) One of Tokyo’s oldest Japanese landscape Gardens, which was first laid out in 1629 (well that’s what I read…don’t blame me if it’s incorrect!) Originally covering sixty three acres, it’s now reduced to about sixteen due to city planning. Amongst the many trees and grassed areas, there’s also a rice field (planted by school children) arched bridges, stone lanterns and miniature views imitating noted Japanese and Chinese scenic spots. It’s quite difficult to explain how beautiful this place is, so you’ll just have to go and see it yourself at some point. It’s amazing to see this quiet garden with the Tokyo Dome looming in the background (sometimes the only reminder that you’re actually in the centre of one of the busiest cities on Earth!) A nice mixture of the traditional and modern and I think one of my favourite places in Tokyo.

We leave the peace of Koishikawa Korakuen and head towards the busy shopping district of Harajuku (Hey Phil, are you sure we’re fashionable enough to walk these streets!? LOL!) You may have heard of Harajuku before, the place where all the fashionable young people hang out (and get photographed by Western tourists) Well, that’s only on a Sunday. This is Tuesday, and all we see is a very sullen faced orange haired girl sitting on the floor (for about five minutes. Maybe she suddenly realised that she had the wrong day too)

We walk up the main shopping street, but before we start to do any serious parting with cash, our stomachs remind us that they haven’t seen anything solid since breakfast time.We stop off at a small coffee shop (can’t remember the name, Phil will know!) for a cup of tea and something to eat, before hitting the streets once again, me with an urge to spend lots of money on something I probably don’t really need.

Can’t remember all the places that we went into, but highlights include:

Binary, a shop located on the first floor (or is that 2nd floor? We are in Japan after all) in a side street off of the main shopping area. Spotted by (eagle eyes) Phil, this is where I bought some very nice t shirts and a towel! I could have easily bought a lot more in there, but resisted temptation (next time, I’m leaving my guilty conscious at home!)

And a toyshop…Can’t remember what it’s called, but if you know where Binary is, it’s a few shops further down! Those of you that know me, know I have a passion for Japanese toys (those that don’t, here ends the first lesson)

Amongst the things I buy here are:

A Darth Vader bear mobile phone alert (No Phil I can’t get mine to work either! LOL!)

A Space Invader…erm…um…thing. A bit hard to describe this one, but basically you stick little coloured plastic bits into a frame to make space invaders.

A remote control R2-D2! Well actually I bought two, I couldn’t make up my mind which colour to get, so I said I'll get both. Phil thought I was joking LOL!

Before I could spend anymore, Phil drags me kicking and screaming from the toyshop (not really!) and make our way to Shibuya, another busy shopping area. Easily recognisable by it’s many video screens and diagonal zebra crossings. We head for the station and take a look at the famous dog statue that stands outside (It’s a popular and easy place to meet people. That is unless everybody else has the same idea then I can imagine it being very hard to find people in the huge crowd) We take a few snapshots and people watch for a bit. We walk around for a while before our stomachs remind us that it’s time to eat again (Good timing stomach, it’s started to rain)

One Freshness egg and bacon burger, chips, onion rings, and a strawberry smoothie later (plus a bit more people watching and a bit more walking about) we head back to the hotel.

This evening, while Phil meets a friend I decide to go and do a bit more exploring. I head back up to Jinbocho to check out some of the book shops I saw the previous day before they close. I stop at McDonalds for dinner (I know, shameful isn’t it? but it was the only place that I could find that was open) and walk up to Tokyo Dome City, to see what they have to offer (Erm…mostly bright lights and lots of noise)

While out, I pass some workmen who have sectioned off a small area of pavement, one of the men kindly guides me through the path that has been set aside for pedestrians with what looks like a very small lightsaber from Star Wars, even though there is only one way that you can physically walk through. As I pass he smiles, thanks me and I go on my way. This is one thing about Japan that I really like. The politeness and respect for everyone else. You don’t see this (well, not everyday) on the streets of London, and it’s nice. I definitely could live in Japan I think to myself.

Back down to Jinbocho and off again in a different direction (Up towards a railway bridge and the brightly lit street that runs parallel) Not much here except puddles and three people dressed up and handing out leaflets (A schoolgirl, a maid and a rather large built man dressed as Pikachu)

Now, by the time I left Sapporo I was getting used to the way that the city was laid out (blocks) but Tokyo is an altogether different story. With its mismatch of styles and mixture of old and new, this is more like London (i.e. confusing)

To give me some kind of reference point when I left, I choose the Starbucks on the corner of the road that my hotel is as a marker. Unfortunately there are many Starbucks in the Ochanomizu area of Tokyo, and even more unfortunate (for me) a lot of them seem to be on positioned on corners. It also doesn’t help that a few easily recognizable shops that I notice on my way are now closed, so they look completely different. After about half an hour of trial and error, I find a street map (“Right. I’m here. Hotel there”) another half an hour and I‘m still looking at street maps (Doesn’t this place have any road signs??? Apparently no.)

I have a piece of paper that Phil had picked up at the hotel earlier with a simple map back to the hotel and this was getting wetter and wetter as it had started to rain again, quite heavily. Another twenty minutes of random wandering and I finally come across a young guy sweeping up outside a small café, getting ready to close for the night. As my Japanese is very limited, a lot of pointing at the soggy piece of pink paper that I have ensues and he directs me in the direction that he thinks I need to go (past three sets of traffic lights in that direction then left. Maybe) Five minutes later I encounter another couple who point me in the right direction! (thank you soooooo much whoever you all are! I’m eternally grateful!)

I find out afterwards that I was actually only about 10 minutes walk away from my hotel, and that I had been probably walking around in a rather large circle. Bugger.

Anyway, I find my way back to the hotel. I dry myself off, and pray that the book I bought has not been transformed in to a very expensive lump of paper mache (it was in a paper bag, which offered no protection from the rain whatsoever!)

Phil returns from his trip, and we decide to go and look for a bar, coffee place or something (Anything! Please!). We walk around vainly searching for half an hour or so but everything is now closed, we head back to the hotel (stopping once again at the convenience store across the road for breakfast, unhealthy snacks, and capsule toys)

Bah! (For the early closing, not for the breakfast, unhealthy snacks, and capsule toys)

:D

Monday, May 22, 2006

Blondes have more fun! (apparently)

Tokyo Day 1:

I get up quite early this morning (well for me anyway) as today Phil and I are off to Tokyo for a few days.

I get ready, say my goodbyes to the room (I get kind of sentimental about things like that!) and make my way to reception to check out, hoping that the lift will play some kind of sombre music when I depart as a fitting accompaniment to this sad occasion.

No such luck.

I leave to the sounds of “I know him so well” (Come to think of it, this song does make me want to cry, but not because it’s sad, it’s just a terrible song)


I meet Phil at the hotel, and as the flight is at 9:30 we head off to the airport, hoping that the rush hour crush has calmed down a bit. We reach the airport and go through all the usual airporty stuff (before you ask, yes “airporty” is a proper word, because I said so) and I experience my third flight in five days.

Maybe it’s the getting up early, or maybe the final wave of jet lag has finally decided to kick in but it’s surprising how tired you feel when you're on a plane, even though you're just sitting on your ar*e, reading in flight magazines, drinking fruit juice (that you don’t even have to go and get yourself!) and chatting. Phew! (-_-) ZZZZZZ!

One short flight later we land at Haneda, go through a bit more airporty stuff (Go on! Admit it! “airporty” is a great word ne!?) at the other end and make our way to our hotel, The Tokyo Green Hotel Ochanomizu.

We check in (after a bit of trouble with my passport that’s stuck in a pocket with a broken zip! Thank God for bent paper clips!) Drop off our bags and head for Akihabara. (As I mentioned before, I had brought some salt and vinegar crisps for Phil, but had forgotten to take them to his flat when I dropped my case off and as I was leaving straight for the airport, I end up taking the crisps with me! These were now becoming a serious contender for some kind of world record involving well travelled potato based products)

Anyway, while I was back in the UK I bought a travel plug which claimed that it would work in Japan. Pfft! Did it a*se! It didn’t even fit into the socket! Because of this I needed to get a lead with a Japanese two point plug (pretty soonish too, as I was down to about twenty minutes battery time!) so I could recharge my camera. The best place to find this Phil suggested is the new (and frankly, huuuuge!) Yodobashi Camera. (I actually got it in a small shop on the way! Hahaha!)

After the initial urge to go into Yodobashi Camera shouting “I’ll have one of everything” while waving my credit card in the air, we head upstairs to locate the second item on my list, a new 1 GB memory card.

With the memory card located (and at half the price that it is in the UK!) and a small plastic thing for keeping the wires on earphones relatively tidy, we decide it’s time for lunch.

We stop for lunch at a place called Matsuya. The idea here is that you choose your dish, put your money in the machine and take the ticket that it gives you in return to the counter in the centre of the shop. I attempt to eat the fried egg that’s comfortably resting on the to of my pork and rice with chopsticks (which is not as difficult as I thought it would be, seeing as fried eggs are not the most sturdy of foodstuff)

After the fun of Akihabara we head off for Asakusa. Here we see the Kaminari-mon Gate and the Senso-ji Temple. We look around, take some pictures and take a leisurely stroll back down through the market place that leads up to it, where I purchase a Yellow Neo Henshin Cyborg toy, that I've been after for a while :D

Then it’s back to Ochanomizu, followed by a look around Jinbocho and it’s many bookshops. It would be quite easy to spend a whole day here just browsing but time doesn’t allow for such luxuries.

Come evening time, we’re Shinjuku bound! This is a business and shopping district in the west of Tokyo, which reminds me of Soho back in London. We walk around for a while, before stop for a drink or two at a little basement pub in Kabukicho called The Hub (the English pub!)

As we enter we notice a rather ill looking guy sitting on the stairs with his head in hands (hmmm, liquid breakfast, lunch and dinner we think!)

I’m slightly confused by the way they serve drinks here. First you go to one end of the bar to order and pay for your drinks, then shuffle no more than four feet further along to a different part of the same bar to pick them up!

Notice that the drunk guy is now sitting at the back somewhere, perching precariously on the edge of a chair, still looking very ill.


We leave the pub and go for a walk, but it’s not long before we’re stopped by someone (a Westerner, not quite sure where he was from) who asks us if we want to “come to his club, we’ve got nice blonde haired Western girls”

“Erm…No you’re alright mate. Thanks for asking” (O_o)

In the space of fifteen minutes, this same event (albeit with different guys) is played out several more times, all with the same replies from us. Some just take the hint straight away, some are more persistent (almost to the point of me wanting to garrotte them with cheese wire just to shut them up and for them to let go of my arm)

Now, if I really want to frequent establishments like that (which I don’t) why on Earth would I come all the way to Tokyo when I can stay at home? (O_O)

Fed up with getting hassled every two hundred yards, we decide to go back to the pub for another drink (or two……or is it three? Can you rem
ember Phil!??? I can't!) and to check out the condition of the drunk guy (Phil discovers him in the toilet sitting on the cistern!)

We leave the pub in high sprits, make our way back to the station (Well, I follow Phil because I haven’t got a clue where I’m going) and head back to the hotel for the night…

Sunday, May 21, 2006

“Make mine a double!”

I wake up (as most people usually do in the mornings, unless you’re either dead or you work the night shift) and go through the usual routine of getting ready, eating breakfast and watching some TV.

I meet Phil and Christine downstairs in the hotel lobby, and we head off towards Sapporo Station.

Today we’re off for a trip to Otaru and then onto Yoichi to visit the Nikka Whisky Company distillery (Hokkaido Plant) which is roughly about 50km west of Sapporo City.

After a slight detour into one of the shopping malls under the station to get something for lunch, we catch the train and head off.

We get to Otaru and have a bit of a wait for the train that takes us onto the final part of our journey. While we wait, we eat lunch, watch a platform guard move on a couple of very scruffy looking Australians who’ve decided to sleep on the floor and watch a train driver on the other side of the station doing his safety check. This involves him doing a lot of pointing at various parts of the train and saying the name out loud while his superior looks on (Wheels! Check!)

I’m not usually a fan of train journeys in general (well, not here in the UK) but this one takes us along the coastline with some amazing views out to sea.

We arrive at the Station, locate the distillery and decide to take the guided tour. Unfortunately this guided tour is all in Japanese, but with Phil translating, I get the general idea of what’s going on.

At the end of the tour there’s an opportunity to taste (and of course buy at the gift shop!) some of the whisky and apple juices that they produce. And rather nice it is too! :D

We leave the Nikka plant and take a walk down to the ocean through the outskirts of the town (it reminds me of some of the little sleepy seaside places back in the UK) and spend a short while at a tiny patch of beach with dark grey volcanic sand. I pick up a few small rocks and some shells as souvenirs, which I put in the rather large pockets of the combat trousers I’m wearing and make strange clonking sounds all the way back to the station for the return journey (When I get back to the hotel, I notice that the constant rubbing of the rocks has given me several large bruises on my kneecaps!)

After a quick trip back to the hotel to freshen up (and to try and remove rather a lot of sand out of my pockets) we all meet up again and Phil and Christine take me for Yakitori (skewered chicken, pork, etc.) at a place called "Kushidori" (which means "skewered chicken” funnily enough :O)

Here we eat until we can eat no more and discuss the merits of opening up a Yakitori place back in the UK! (we all agree that it would be most popular!)

I return to the hotel once again and pack my luggage, meeting Phil in the lobby. Because of the early start tomorrow (trip to Tokyo) Phil has kindly suggested that I leave my case at his place, and he’s here to explain things to the hotel staff just in case they think that I’m going to leave without paying the bill. We walk out without them batting an eyelid, but as they already have my credit card details (I booked online) they probably don’t care.

A quick twenty minute walk to Phil’s house, and as it’s rather late now we’re trying to be as quiet as possible when going down some of the smaller back streets (but this is practically impossible when you are dragging a case with hard plastic wheels over some slightly dodgy sections of pavement and the odd tram line or two)

I leave the case (which probably takes up about a fifth of Phil's tiny flat!) and successfully find my way back to the hotel (Probably the first time this has occurred without too much hastle!)

I'm getting the hang of this navigating around Sapporo business! Yay!

Too bad when I come back from Tokyo I’m going to be somewhere new…

Saturday, May 20, 2006

"There's hell in hello, but more in goodbye"

I wake up feeling refreshed and very excited today. I was finally going to meet up with my very good friend Yuki. I’ve known Yuki for about a year and this is going to be the first face to face meeting!

Fortunately, due to work commitments, she’s going to be in Sapporo this week, otherwise we probably couldn't meet. Yatta! :D

Unfortunately, also due to work commitments, she now lives on the other side of Hokkaido and is only here for a few days before she has to return, so time together is short. Bugger :(

We meet in Odori Park by the TV Tower (It’s a good meeting point if you ever go to Sapporo, its big and its orange and white. You can’t miss it) Yuki is already there waiting on one of the benches when I finally arrive (As I’m still not quite sure how to navigate my way around the city, I take what I think is the correct route from my hotel to the park and somehow get into a very strange conversation with a local taxi driver when I stop to ask directions)

Yuki stands up and smiles. I smile in return, we exchange “hello” and I startle her by giving her a hug! (Sorry Yuki!)

We walk along Odori for a bit. The sun is out and it’s a lovely day!

Yuki becomes my guide and takes me shopping. We hit the covered Tanukikoji shopping arcade and explore some of the 200 stores that are here. It’s a mix of the traditional and modern and there’s something for everyone. One of the most interesting is The Donki Shop which is part of a famous chain. From DVDs to toiletries, this place has it all!

Lunchtime arrives and Yuki asks if I can use chopsticks. I don’t think she’s too convinced when I say yes, so she takes me to her favourite pasta place! LOL!

We eat, and I still manage to make a complete mess even though I’m using a fork and a spoon.

After lunch we hit the Purikura machines in the local games arcade. Feeling a bit out of place as we enter (99% of the people in the Purikura corner are female and probably between the ages of 12 and 15 years of age) I follow Yuki as she picks a machine and we disappear behind the brightly coloured curtain…

This is my first experience with the phenomenon that is “Purikura” (the nearest I’ve been to something like it was when I had my passport photos taken! Hahaha!) and I’m surprised by how quick it all happens. Before I have time to think (and to remove the strange bemused look that I permanently have) the photos are taken and I follow Yuki around to the other side of the machine. This is where you get the opportunity to draw, write and ‘stamp’ onto the pictures, and generally get the opportunity to make them look all nice. Well you can if you know what you’re doing.

Yuki, being an expert at this, gets to work straight away while I stand there and scribble (accidentally ruining a few of the pictures in the process) and just when I realise that you can erase things, the time is up and we wait outside for the pictures to be delivered…

When they finally show up, Yuki (expertly wielding a pair of scissors) neatly divides the sheet of pictures into two.

I look at the results…Hmmm…Oooh…I look even worse than I thought I would. Yuki (looking as lovely as usual!) stands there with her usual cheeky smile while I look akin to someone that’s just been involved in a rather nasty chemical accident. "Can we do them again???" I think to myself "No??? Arse")

I’ve never really liked having my picture taken, and anyone that sees these (hopefully no one!) will probably understand why.

Months before I came to Japan, I made Yuki promise that she would sing to me, so true to her word, the next stop is Karaoke!

She books the room, orders the drinks and we head off for an hour of singing. Yuki sings songs by Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys (my favourite!) and Gwen Stefani while I murder songs by The Smiths, New Order, Gwen Stefani, and Atomic Kitten (O_o)

(Once again, before I came to Japan, I told Yuki that my singing sounded very much like someone being run over by a small woodland creature on a motor cycle. I think that she now probably believes me)

Next we head for the two underground shopping malls at Sapporo Station. This place is huge!


Stopping at a place that sells many differing types of delicious food, we pass a huge vat of Bean Jam bubbling away. Actually, it looks quite dangerous and I’m glad we’re watching from behind the glass. Yuki treats me to a very tasty bean jam filled snack and we have a short rest while we eat.

We leave the Station and once again head back towards Odori Park, but as the weather is now turning slightly chilly we decide to go to the pub instead.

We have a quick drink, and all too soon the time has come for Yuki and I to say goodbye. As we walk along the busy street before we go our own separate way, I feel a deep sadness inside.

I’m glad that we were able to meet but it’s very difficult to watch as she disappears into the crowds on this warm Sapporo evening.


Friday, May 19, 2006

"Doobie Doobie Dooooooooo…Aaaaaaoooooouuuuuuhhhhhh!"

This morning I have a bit of a lie in due to the lack of sleep the day before. Probably didn't help by being woken up by the sound of sirens emanating from the fire station across the road at about 4:00am. I don't want to spend all morning in bed though as I'm only here for two weeks and every second counts.

Realising that I’ve forgotten to buy anything for breakfast in the 711 the night before, I leave the hotel at roughly 11:00am and decide to explore the immediate vicinity (finding something to eat en route)


As I step into the hotel lift, I’m greeted by the mellow sounds of a cover version of the Minnie Ripperton classic “Loving You” done in an easy listening style. Just as it launches into the part that goes “La la la la la, la la la la la, la la la la la la la la la la la…Doobie Doobie Dooooooooo…Aaaaaaoooooouuuuuuhhhhhh!"* (for those of you that are not familiar with this song the end part sounds like poor old Minnie has just fallen into a bottomless pit) the lift reaches the ground floor, the doors open and I’m confronted by two waiting Japanese businessmen. Thank God I wasn’t tempted to join in with the singing, as this could have proven to be rather embarrassing.

Choosing to turn left as I leave the hotel (no particular reason, it just looked a bit more exciting) It's only a short walk before I end up on a bridge overlooking the Toyohira River.

The river (quite fast flowing due to all the water from the melting mountain snow, apparently) is a site to behold. Although the Thames back in London is pretty impressive, it’s rather slow moving and quite dirty in comparison. After a short walk along the path (stopping to take a few pictures) I head back to the hotel, as I’m due to meet Phil there (it’s a good job that we’re going to lunch, as I completely forgot about breakfast)

I meet Phil in the hotel lobby and head up towards the centre of Sapporo. Phil takes me to a little place called Stanley Market (can’t remember what I have to eat, but you can guarantee it was pork based!) where we eat and catch up on old times.

With lunch over and done with, we head up towards Odori Park where Phil shows me a few more points of interest before leaving me on my own to explore. I take a leisurely walk through the park, soaking up the sights and sounds (while trying to avoid getting run over by the numerous people on bicycles) and stop by one of the fountains to watch the world go by and to listen to some nice relaxing hard trance on my CD player.

After an hour of watching fountains, protests by senior citizens and high school boys chasing pigeons (never quite worked out why this particular activity was so enjoyable to them. Even when the park was full of high school girls, the pigeons seemed to get more attention. Maybe it’s a courtship display of agility and speed if they actually manage to catch one. It would be quite funny to see it reversed, with pigeons chasing high school boys in the hope of attracting a mate!) and damaging my tympanic membranes with the sounds of “Eryk Orpheus Vs Group 185”


I decide to explore somewhere new. Unfortunately, I can’t actually remember what I did. I think I just walked around for a bit looking at some shops (sorry I can’t be any more specific than this, but while I was in Japan I made a note of what I had done each day so when I returned I could use this to help me remember specific things when writing this blog. This only works though if you can actually read your own handwriting)

Anyway, later that evening, I meet Phil again in the hotel lobby (exiting the lift to the song “I know him so well”) and head off for the first (of many!) visits to the local Irish pub Brian’s Brew, where we drink, eat chips and talk absolute rubbish to Akimi (hello Akimi!)

This time, as I head back to the hotel for the night, I remember to stop and get breakfast…...and another vodka :D


*You wouldn't believe the trouble it took to get the correct spelling for Aaaaaaoooooouuuuuuhhhhhh

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Sapporo Yuki!

As I had set my watch to Japan time (it's eight hours ahead for anyone that didn't know but if you do already know this, I'm really sorry to interrupt the flow of the paragraph by sticking a large and frankly quite pointless bit of explanatory text in between two brackets) when I boarded the plane it was already Thursday (note to self: Next time, book an extra day...) and I begin to settle down for the long long long flight ahead (O_o)

Not wanting to bore you with the intricate details, here's a quick rundown of how I spent eleven and a half hours:

I watched a movie: King Kong - Thought it was rubbish, wished I'd watched Memoirs of a Geisha instead.

Played a video game: Invasion - A space invaders type game where you try to save the galaxy from...er...invasion. Every now and again we would hit some turbulence which spookily enough seemed to coincide with getting blasted on screen!)

Slept (for about one and a half hours) in a very uncomfortable half foetal/half person-who-has-just-fallen-off-a-very-tall-building-and-landed-badly-on-a-picket-fence type position.

Went to the toilet: Not really because I needed to, more for something to do and to get a bit of exercise, but to be honest, I find it very difficult to concentrate on doing what I went in there to do as:

1. I think you need to have some kind of spinal deformity to comfortably fit into an airplane toilet anyway.

2. It's kind of scary when you are in there because you can really feel the turbulence, especially in the one at the back and no matter how you try not to think about it, you just know that the metal structure of the plane is just twisting like a b*stard.

Tried to avoid Deep Vein Thrombosis in the back of my knees.

Anyway, to cut a very long eleven and a half hour story short, I eventually landed at Tokyo Narita Airport, exhausted but alive!

YAY! GO ME!!! :D First part of the journey successfully completed! Now comes the fun part of trying to navigate my way around Narita, collecting my bag, going through customs, checking in for the next flight, picking up a mobile phone that I hired from the airline, finding my way to the correct gate and getting on the plane bound for Sapporo. Simple huh? (before I left the UK, I wasn't looking forward to the three hour wait between landing in Tokyo and flying out again, but now I'm really glad I had all that time to do all the stuff that I had to)

While at Narita, I go to find a toilet (thought I'd give it a go seeing as I was on solid ground! Haha!) - I enter, and seeing as there is a queue (well, one English guy) I wait. "It's ok" he says "you can go first" and motions toward the one empty cubicle that I haven't noticed. "Ok! Thanks!" I say and go in. It's then I notice that it's a Japanese style toilet! "Ah!" I think "That's why he let me go first"

Next stop: Luggage claim. I find the correct carousel and wait for my bag. And wait. And wait. And wait (getting more and more concerned as I see other people just walking up and taking their bags almost immediately and seeing other bags making their second and third circuits)

And then: Aha! A recognisable strap! My bag!! Hooray!!! :D

Next stop: Customs! I lift my case and hand luggage onto the table and open them up.
"Do you have any of these items?" Says the rather sweet and gentle looking customs woman showing me a scrapbook with some photocopied pictures (I always imagine customs people to be big and mean and intimidating somehow)

"Guns? Swords? Pornography? Drugs?" (I can never understand why they ask the sword question. As Japan makes the best swords in the world, why would you want to bring one in???)

After replying no to all of the above, she very carefully picks through my case, looking like she doesn't want to mess up my immaculate (even if I do say so myself!) packing.

Phil had asked me before I left if I would bring some Salt and Vinegar crisps for him (which were currently residing in my case) She picks up each of the packets in turn and gives them a gentle squeeze.

After being satisfied that I wasn't attempting to corrupt the citizens of Japan, she takes a look in my hand luggae, once again carefully picking through the items inside, stopping at the packets of tea bags that I have in there.

"What are these, please?" she says with a cheery smile (don't think customs officers are supposed to smile are they?)

"Teabags"

"???"

"Um…tea in bags in a foil wrapper"


"Ah Tea!"

She picks up the packet, gently lifts up the corner and has a good sniff (they were in another bag sealed with tape just in case the foil bags split in transit) once again trying her hardest not to ruin the careful packing.

Once she is satisfied that I'm not bringing in anything illegal, she informs me that I can go. As I pack up my case, the plastic buckle on my case strap snaps. The poor customs woman looks on in horror and apologises profusely even though it was me that broke it!

Next stop: Pick up my mobile phone.
ANA had an offer for people travelling with them that they could hire a mobile free for thirty days. I highly recommend it as it proved to be invaluable!

Next stop: Flight to Sapporo!
After checking in at the ANA desk and getting directions to the correct gate (I can't thank the ANA staff that I encountered throughout my trip enough. Without them I would probably still be wandering around Narita!) I board the flight for the final leg of my journey. I can finally take a bit of a breather and relax (sort of!) I manage to get a window seat and spend the short trip transfixed by the beautiful sunset.

After Landing at Chitose, I once again go through the fun of waiting for my case (and once again the fun of seeing everyone else's case go around a few times before mine eventually pops out from behind the rubber curtains like a sleepy rabbit greeting a new morning after a heavy night drinking vodka based cocktails. Although I'm not too sure if rabbits would have rubber curtains. I'll get back to you on that one...)

As I finally arrive in…well..in Arrivals, I'm greeted by the friendly face of Phil! (Thanks for coming to pick me up!) who has come to take me to the hotel, give me a quick guide to Sapporo and generally settle me in.

We board the train, and although all the signs are in Japanese and there are Japanese people everywhere (as there would be in Japan) it doesn't really sink in that I'm finally here. After all the talk, all the planning, I'm in Japan…Cue one slightly exhausted internal Whooo! :P

After checking in at the Hotel 330 Grande Sapporo, I head back to Phil's for a bit of a sit down and something to eat (Thanks Christine, Oishii des!) Then back to the hotel for some much needed sleep...