JAPAN DAY 5 (Pt.2): 1ST SAKURA OF THE YEAR ...POSSIBLY

SPENT MOST OF THE DAY BY MY LONESOME WANDERING THE STREETS OF UENO IN TOKYO. A FRIEND OF MINE (WHOSE IDENTITY I WILL KEEP ANONYMOUS) WAS KIND ENOUGH TO DRAW ME THE PRICELESS MAP BELOW. NOW, MY FRIEND'S ENGLISH IS EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT WITH A CAPITAL X. FAR BETTER THAN I CAN EVER HOPE MY JAPANESE TO BE. BUT ON THIS OCCASION HE HAPPENED TO MAKE A RARE ERROR THAT WILL MAKE ME CHUCKLE UNTIL THE DAY I DIE, OR LOSE MY MEMORY.

WELL, I BELIEVE IT WAS AN ERROR... OR PERHAPS A VERY CRUEL ATTEMPT TO HAVE ME WANDER AROUND TOWN ASKING PASSERS-BY, "EXCUSE ME, DO YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND SOME REALLY BIG C*CK?" CLICK THE MAP, IF YOU DON'T ALREADY SEE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.




I ENDED UP IN UENO PARK, WHERE I FOUND ONE OF THE FIRST OF JAPAN'S SAKURA TREES TO BLOOM THIS SEASON IN TOKYO. I CAN'T SAY I WAS FLOORED, SINCE THE PETALS WERE ONLY HALF OUT, AND IT WAS ALREADY PRETTY DARK OUTSIDE - BUT JUDGING FROM ALL THE GIDDY PEDESTRIANS WAITING IN LINE TO POSE FOR CELL PHONE SNAPSHOTS IN FRONT OF IT, ONE MIGHT THINK THIS WAS THE GREATEST TREE IN THE WORLD. MAYBE IT WAS. I DUNNO.




TODAY I LIKE: HOMEMADE JAPANESE STYLE CURRY RICE
TODAY I DISLIKE: INSANE LATE NIGHT WINDSTORMS HAMMERING ON JAPANESE STYLE WINDOWS WHILE I TRY TO SLEEP