Japan Trip Summer 2004

Detroit - Thursday - July 29 2004

My sister, Su invited me to visit her in Japan while she still had an apartment over there. She had been stationed there for 3 years with the Navy, but was moving back to the States at the end of August. Last opportunity to crash and freeload. This would've meant missing the annual wushu trip to China, but the choice was obvious. I haven't seen my sister in a long long time, and I've already seen China twice... Besides, I didn't have $3,000 laying around for that trip.

I didn't know what was in store for me in Japan. I've stopped through during several layovers but never had a chance to see what the country was really like. I wanted an adventure of food, art, and culture. I wanted to see what Japan was really like. So here I was... two and half weeks to create lifelong memories. With a passport in hand, a trusty digital camera loaded with a gig of memory, a few hours night's rest, and months of anticipation... I'm off.

my flight had a short layover in detroit. so i just watched people get really amused by the dancing water fountain.

goodbye USA

i didn't know that little caesars was still around. so i had to have some.

My ticket was for one of those bad middle seats. so i decide to ask if they had any aisle seats available. first they said no, but then i turned on the charm and they gave me one with a ton of leg-room, great for the 13 hour flight. never hurts to ask i guess.

goodbye earth

mmm... dinner... mmmmm.. beer...

i was sitting next to some chinese lady visiting her family in shanghai... the 13 hours just pass like it's nothing when i'm playing my gameboy

Yokosuka Naval Base - Friday July 30 2004

So after loosing a loosing a day of my life in the sky... i finally touched down in Narita Airport and met up with my sister. really the main purpose of this trip was to have a fun bonding experience with her... and well... see a little of Japan. so she had lined up for us a white water rafting trip the next morning. problem was that the bus left at 5 in the morning from the base... but i didn't have a pass to enter in the morning... so what we forgo going to her apartment which is offbase... and just stay overnight at the navy hospital where she works.

there's me... needed shower

Su scarfing down a mcflurry... she eats a ton of icecream... every time we passed any place that sold icecream, she was like... mmmm...

a guy my sister works with... he owns a nissan skyline... like every other person on the base from what i saw. hehe... my first meal in japan is mcdonalds. nothing else was open.

something eerie about empty hospital hallways... i'm expecting zombies to pop out right about now.

Rafting - Somewhere far away - Saturday - July 31 2004

Next morning we got up early to get ready for the rafting... biggest surprise was that the sun was already out. turns out the sun rises at 4 in the morning druing the height of summer. that's early.

naval base means big ships. i accidently called them boats before my sister straightened me out. unfortunately, the big "ship" that's based in yokosuka wasn't in... the kittyhawk... which they nickname "The Boat"... confused yet?... anyways, base wasn't very active so i didn't get to experience the hustle and bustle on base and see drunken sailors out in the city.

yes... the cellphone... this was her old... way too outdated cellphone cause it didn't have a built in camera. if only it did... then she'd aways find a reason to have it out... hmm...

The bus ride was 3 hours so we stopped for refreshments and a potty break. convenient stores in japan are really nice... super friendly service, good prepared food. i wanted to buy the fried chicken... but didn't know how to ask for it... so my sister ordered it for me... then i came to the realization my sister could speak japanese now. it was wierd... i should've have figured she could considering she's been here 3 years, but i didn't expect the fluency of it. so it's not fair... she speaks 4 languages fluently now.. not fair at all.

though i took the bus to the base at night, i didn't dawn on my how scary it was to drive on the wrong side of the road until... dawn.

so we arrive at the rafting site. unfortunately i didn't have the foresight to bring a waterproof camera so i couldn't get any pictures of the actual rafting. it was fun though. only level 2 so not dangerous... but there were parts when people were definitely on top of each other from the rocking... and one guy fell out, but of course my sister pulled him back in.

beautiful misty hills

the other people on the trip... a bunch of sailors and marines. it was funny cause when you row... you need someone to call so that the rowing is synchronized... i couldn't help but to assume that position from all the wushu yi-er-san-si-ing. then i decided to stop figuring someone would take over... but no one did... what's up with that.

I'm glad that i got myself to do this considering i'm scared of water and can't swim. near the end, they pushed me off the raft... a little scary... but i was able to play it cool

the rafting instructors.. there were two boats for our group. we got the white guy... he was funny.

\

we took this van back from out landing site... that's 14 people in a minivan... sure there's some regulation against that in the states.

these are fun... onigiri.. my sister got them at the convenient store... rice stuffed with salmon wrapped in seaweed. like sushi to-go.

after the day's activities, i was finally going to my sister's apartment. this is yokosuka... it's a city of 450,000 people... i totally didn't expect that my sister lived in a city from the pictures she emailed me before.

we had dinner at this place called pepper lunch...

so it turns out you order fast food in japan from a machine that prints out an order slip for the server... leave it to japanese efficiency to make everything simpler...

i like how it eliminates the problem of not speaking japanese... just give them the slip.. and when they ask a question, just smile and nod... and hope they don't come back with a plate of raw fish...

put then in this place, you'd get raw food no matter what. they serve your order as raw meat and veggies on a really hot plate.... and it cooks in front of your eyes as you stir it around and add sauce.. wicked cool.

land of the rising sun. next morning i wake up to a glorious sunrise.yokosuka is a coastal city about an hour south of tokyo by train.

bathroom... i forgot to take a picture of the toilet... it was cool cause when you flushed... there's a sink on the top that automatically dispenses water to wash your hands... clever.

the apartment was very empty cause my sister had most of her stuff already shipped back to the states. so no couch, no tv, no bed... it like she's going for the traditional japenese look.

i have a habit of taking pictures of people while they sleep... i wonder what it means.

this is sunday morning... and the agenda for the day... brunch buffee at a hotel in tokyo... so we decided to hit the gym on base to work up an appetite. wow, i learned my sister is in good shape... she was running and running... for me, there was a massage chair... yeyeyeeyeah.

lots of arcades in japan... i'm so glad i'm over my arcade phase... 5 years ago i would've wasted too much time here.

yes... public transportation... cars are wicked cheap in japan... but with a public transportation infrastructure like that in japan, it's unnecessary. it's so puctual you can set your watch to it... and so realiable and safe... it's funny when there are elementary aged kids taking the trains and subways on their own. like they're little adults.

and if a train can't take you there, taxis are abound. but they're pretty expensive, 6 dollars fare. but you feel like it's worth it cause they're super clean and courteous. and the doors open automatically.

so we arrive at the new sanno hotel in the hiroo section of tokyo. my sister was all ranting and raving about how it was a must during my visit... the sunday brunch. the new sanno is a military run hotel... only for military personel and their dependents so security is tight. so it was wierd when i wanted to come back inside on time, and they gave me a hard time cause didn't have a military ID to get in. but then i just gave then a swift sidekick to the head.

so this sunday "champaign brunch" costed 20 dollars... pretty steep for breakfast... so i decide i'll do my best to get my money's worth.

...so of course i had to had the champaign cause that's already about 5 dollars right there... but to get my money's worth.. i helped myself to cheeze blintzes, waffles with fruit and whipped cream, eggs benedict, homefries, bagle with lox and cream cheese, steak, manicotti, meatballs, beef teriyaki, potato wedges, muscles, tomato juice, orange juice, croissant, sushi, more bagel with lox and caviar, fresh fruit, tea, and flan.

mmm mmm good.

oh yeah... they had an ice sculpture... as well as a lady playing piano. darn.. i forgot to go to the omelette station.