TODAY THE DIFFERENCE IN TIME ZONES HAS FINALLY CAUGHT UP, AND IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS (AND NOT THOSE NICE SOFT KIND OF BRICKS, EITHER). DESPITE THE FACT THAT "OL' MAN JET LAG" ARRIVED LATE TO THE PARTY, HE DIDN'T JUST POLITELY KNOCK ON THE DOOR - HE KICKED THE ENTIRE WALL DOWN. I GUESS THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRAVEL 13 HOURS INTO THE FUTURE.
TODAY WE FARTED AROUND TOWN, CHECKED OUT A FEW SHOPS, AND TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE EXOTIC CULTURAL CUISINE TO BE ENJOYED AT A STANDARD ITALIAN CHAIN RESTAURANT. YOU HAVEN'T HAD A HOUSE SALAD AND A PLATE OF SPAGHETTI UNTIL YOU'VE HAD IT IN JAPAN... POSSIBLY.
ALSO FOUND MYSELF A NICE PAIR OF SNEAKERS. HAD TO BUY THEM, SINCE NON-LEATHER SHOES ARE SO TOUGH FOR ME TO FIND. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY'RE A BIT TOO THIN FOR MY FAT IRISH FEET. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT GUYS WITH FAT FEET, RIGHT? ...I THINK THEY SAY NOT TO BUY SHOES IN JAPAN.
WHEREVER WE WENT, I'VE BEEN WHIPPING OUT MY 2,000 YEN BILLS (ROUGHLY $20) TO PAY FOR STUFF. IT WASN'T UNTIL I ALREADY SPENT HALF OF THEM THAT I CAME TO UNDERSTAND HOW RARE THESE PARTICULAR BILLS ARE. APPARENTLY IT'S RIGHT ON PAR WITH TRAVELLING TO THE STATES AND DISPENSING A WALLET FULL OF $2 BILLS. OR PERHAPS GOING TO CANADA AND TRADING A BEAVER PELT FOR A PIZZA (WHICH I HEAR IS STILL NOT UNHEARD OF IN FRENCH-CANADIAN REGIONS). HOW WAS I TO KNOW THAT WADS OF CASH COULD BE WORTH ANYTHING? LUCKILY, I'VE STILL GOT A FEW LEFT IN MY POCKET TO FLASH AROUND TOWN. ONE MORE THING TO ADD TO MY ARSENAL OF THINGS-I-CAN-IMPRESS-JAPANESE-CHICKS-WITH-BUT-NOT-ENOUGH-SO-THAT-IT-MAKES-ANY-KIND-OF-REAL-DIFFERENCE.
SAW A BUNCH OF HIP YOUNG FELLAS IN A PARK PRACTICING HIGHLY SYNCHRONIZED J-POP DANCE MOVES TOGETHER - COMPLETE WITH LEG KICKS, HIP SHAKES, AND DRAMATIC HEAD WHIPS (THINK BRITNEY SPEARS, BUT A TOUCH MORE FEMININE). NOTE TO SELF: IF THIS PUBLIC ENDEAVOR EVER BECOMES AN ASPECT OF JAPANESE CULTURE I'D LIKE TO PURSUE... PURSUE IT IN FRONT OF SPEEDING TRAFFIC. THAT WAY IT WORKS OUT BEST FOR ALL INVOLVED.
SHINPEI'S FRIEND WAS SHOWING SOME OF HER PHOTOGRAPHY AT A GALLERY, SO WE WENT TO CHECK IT OUT. I STILL HAD ALL MY CAMERA GEAR AND TRIPOD WITH ME AT THE TIME, WHICH PIQUED THE INTEREST OF APPROXIMATELY NONE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY ENTHUSIASTS IN ATTENDANCE. CURIOUS. SOMEDAY I PLAN TO ATTEND A FINE ART GALLERY WITH PAINT BRUSH AND EASEL IN HAND TO SEE IF THAT HAS BETTER SUCCESS AS A CONVERSATIONAL ICE BREAKER.
AFTERWARDS, A GROUP FROM THE GALLERY WENT OUT FOR CHINESE. NOT "REAL" CHINESE, BUT JAPANESE-CHINESE (MUCH THE WAY THAT THE FOOD IN THE STATES IS GENERALLY NOT REAL CHINESE, BUT AMERICAN-CHINESE. NONE OF MY FRIENDS FROM CHINA KNOW WHAT (OR WHO) GENERAL TSO IS). I ATE SOME PICKLED THINGIES, AND SOME FRIED THINGIES, AND WHATEVER ELSE DIDN'T HAVE EYES OR TENTACLES IN THE MIX. DIDN'T HEAR A WORD OF ENGLISH THE ENTIRE NIGHT, AND MY JET LAGGED HEAD WAS NOT QUITE UP TO THE TASK OF DECIPHERING MUCH OF WHAT WAS BEING SAID. FOR ALL I KNOW, THE CONVERSATION WAS NOTHING BUT CRUEL JOKES ABOUT THE WEIRD FOREIGNER WHO WOULDN'T EAT ANYTHING WITH EYES OR TENTACLES. (SIGH) I HOPE MY BRAIN TURNS BACK ON BY TOMORROW.
COMING SOON! PICTURES!!!
TODAY I LIKE: SEEING CROWS UP CLOSE ON CITY STREETS
TODAY I DISLIKE: WHATEVER REASON WHY "CHILDREN OF MEN" WAS RENAMED "TOMORROW-LAND" IN JAPAN
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