February 6, 2004
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create your own visited country map
Apparently I have only visited 7% of the world – 17 countries. Highlighted in red are the countries I have been to. I’d better get a move on to see at least 50% of the globe before homo sapiens destroy the planet.
News: 18 Chinese people died in rising tide in England
I spent last night frustratingly resizing about a third of the Japan photos. And I waited for Ms A (some readers will remember her from my logs of New York) to come online to chat but she failed to do so. I guess dinner was too good. I labeled her a heartbreaker and she is! Ms A, you know I’m right!!!
Anyway, I ended up in an online party with Orangesmurf and Jellybaby that lasted for hours. Sleep did not come until after 6am CET. They invited a few of their friends online including this obnoxious minger just to verbally joust with me. Her repertoire was disappointing to say the least that failed to stretch beyond the Asian male genitals. She was no match for me. No female can match bane. You’re the Queen babe (watch her oversized ego inflate).
Silvermyst – There is no such thing as a non-practising chrisitan. Either you are one that tries to follow the faith or you’re just a hypocrite. Calling yourself a chrisitan when you don’t go to church, pray etc is definitely wrong.
Re - Dubai. Regarding your Indian friends. They will have no problem there because of their race. I was referring to an attractive white woman i.e my girlfriend at the time. You cannot believe the relentless amount of unbated and unwanted attention such women received from Arab men. Even buses have designated areas for women only.
Japan Trip: Thursday 22rd Jan 2004
Chinese New Year. I spent it flying to Heathrow Airport, London for a connecting flight to Narita Airport, Tokyo. The plane was only a third full enabling me to have a whole row of four seats to myself. So I spread myself across them and slept for a couple of hours.
Friday 23rd Jan
My birthday. Another year closer to that zimmer frame I’d been longing for. Landed in the morning at Narita and had my JR Pass validated to enable my unlimited train travel for 7 days. Boarded the 1 hour journey Narita Express to Tokyo Station and my orientation was completely throw off upon arrival. For a newcomer, Tokyo Station is a vast sea of people with ports of shops and confusing signs. Luckily, an information desk was at hand to direct me to the correct platform for the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagoya. I called my friend Anna to arrange a meeting point at Nagoya Station once I arrived.
Click on pics to enlarge.
View from the train to Nagoya.
One of the distinctive flavours of Japanese culture is the bowing upon greeting. I think it is quite graceful and respectful. The train inspector and the woman pushing the food trolley both bowed in the front of the passengers when they entered the carriage. And both bowed when they exited.
Mount Fuji.
The meeting point Anna suggested was occupied by high school students. (Ignore the date on the pictures)
Alot of the Japanese wear surgurial masks not because of a weird Michael Jackson fixation but because they have a cold and do not wish to infect others with their germs. Such considerate people!
Nagoya Station
Nagoya Station
Anna introduced me to my first meal in Japan to a ramen (noodles) bar in the station. Then she introduced me to the underground shopping malls that are prevalent across Japan. The array of shops and eateries with their vast selection of goods in particular food was just incredible. We shopped for food for a belated Chinese New Year evening meal. How the payment system works in Japanese retail outlets: you deposit the cash in a tray so the cashier can see the amount rendered. Any change is counted and handed direct to you. In a supermarket, the contents of the shopping basket are scanned and deposited back in another basket. Once payment has been transacted, you carry the basket to a designated area and pack them into carrier bags that are freely available.
Anna.
Anna dressed in the typical Japanese attire. Calm down boys!
Comments (12)
nice pics! remind me of my previous trips to japan. did you go to kyoto?
that map thing is neat too, thanks for the link, gotta make one for myself too.
dude, you blog way too much
Love the link to the map!!
Interesting way of labelling Miss A, sure like to meet her sometime =P~
that map thing is cool. i’m stealing it from you!
I love the photos…all those high school students with the same outfits and yellow schoolbags! I really want to visit Japan someday. I like Anna’s skirt!
Take care::
quite a few of them were wearing the masks…it reminded me of SARS. Can’t believe u guys stayed up so late with your online party..must’ve been some party.
Finally, some babes pix!!!!!!!!! Keep them coming. *drool*
I have visited many places with my rock band.
a suspicious and tragic accident with the 18 deaths. Sadly speaking life is cheap in China. It has always been.
Anna is lovely.
where’s the food pix?
As usual, informative, interesting and most of all, entertaining. And wow, Anna looks georgeyuss! Don’t worry – I am calm, but how can I not say she is a pretty lady when she is so definitely more!
And I thought all of Mt Fuji was only 100% viewable for about 12 days of the year – or am I thinking of another mountain completely.
Wow, the Japanese just seem really friendly. And efficient. I think all other countries should just take notice and follow in their footsteps.
As usual, informative, interesting and most of all, entertaining. And wow, Anna looks georgeyuss! Don’t worry – I am calm, but how can I not say she is a pretty lady when she is so definitely more!
And I thought all of Mt Fuji was only 100% viewable for about 12 days of the year – or am I thinking of another mountain completely.
Wow, the Japanese just seem really friendly. And efficient. I think all other countries should just take notice and follow in their footsteps.
Anna’s a pretty girl. Wow, you’ve visited 17 countries?! that’s a lot more than some people do in their lifetime. I hope to visit Japan within the next five years with my brother. It’s probably useful to know Japanese, but is it necessary? I’m assuming that most japanese had classes in English and we’d be able to communicate simple tourist jargon to them