Well, after 9 days over in Japan, Les and I finally make it back home, which seems like we left an eternity ago. The fish is still alive, so that's always a good sign. Although it's nice to be back in Dublin, I can't help but miss the hectic and lively surroundings of the big, lit city. People don't dress in outlandish pink fairy-tale princess dresses or constantly bow, which is kind of a disappointment. However, I do appreciate that I have a car to drive again, and a decently sized bedroom so I can throw my clothes on the ground.
So far, jet lag hasn't been a problem so far, but the idea is to stay up as long as possible and force ourselves to get back into the right time zone. We dump out our spoils from the trip, and it turns out to be a pretty good catch. One of the best items, though, has to be the green-tea-flavored Kit Kats that is sure to be a hit with the coworkers and friends. Although ask quickly because I'm pretty sure they'll be all gone by the time you read this post. (I am kinda bummed I couldn't find the wasabi-flavored Kit Kats).
All in all, Tokyo was a great trip, and we'll post up pics soon. Unlike the Europe trip, we actually gained weight this time. Go figure.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sailor Moon and Pokemon Galore
Our last full day in Japan certainly had the feel of "this vacation is wearing me out" syndrome. Of course, this is in the nicest sense of the word because we've had so much to do everyday. Today, for our final trip out, it was going to be no different.
We head back out to Odaiba to check out the Anime Festival (anime is another term for Japanese cartoons...think Pokemon, Robotech, Gundam, etc). I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm pretty sure that it'll involve excessive costumes. On the train heading out to the venue, we pass by a packed event with race cars, so we make an impromptu jump off and check it out. Turns out, a (surprise!) drifting event is underway and the top drifters are in attendance.
Now I've alluded to drifting a few times in this blog, so for those who don't know what it is, it is basically driving super-fast cars that slide around corners and make a lot of smoke. It probably doesn't sound too exciting, but there are 2 things I like about it: it makes for really nice-looking rice rocket cars, and really cool stunts. For instance, one event that we saw had 2 cars sliding into a small cramped space marked off by orange cones (like a parallel parking spot). The trick was to see who could slide into place without hitting any cones, and I would have to say it was very very impressive.
We then head over to the Event Center, which is ridiculously HUGE. I mean, it's probably the size of two SFO airports tied together. (It took us about 20 minutes to walk from the front door all the way through to the actual event on the other side) I mean, the whole event was enormous and extravagant: giant booths, actors dressed like characters, giant inflatable characters, huge screens, music, popstars all over the place. I'm guessing it would have been cooler too if we actually watched anime.
Getting late, I suggest to Les that we make one more pit stop to Akihabara (nerd's paradise) so I can do some last minute shopping. I swear, I really could spend all day in that area just perusing at all the toys, games, and electronics. Girls like to window shop for clothes; and guys like to window shop for toys. It's just that way; there's no reason to question it.
We then head to Tokyo Hands one last time to shop for knick-knacks; and if you didn't know, Japanese folk make some of the coolest stationary. We end up buying these neat mechanical pencils that spin the lead so that the tip always stays sharp and pointed in the middle, and pens that have erasers! I mean, the US may have muscle cars and tall basketball players, but we ain't got high-tech pens like the Japanese.
Back at the hotel, it's our last job to get all of our goodies stuffed into our luggage for the ride home. I even manage to pack a MickeyD fried apple pie so I can enjoy it back home in front of my jealous friends. Good thing we pack an extra bag for the haul...not bad for a week's worth of shopping. I must admit, as we pack up, I'm already feeling a little sad, but I know that if I do get nostalgic back home I can always turn on G4 and watch Ninja Warrior.
We head back out to Odaiba to check out the Anime Festival (anime is another term for Japanese cartoons...think Pokemon, Robotech, Gundam, etc). I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm pretty sure that it'll involve excessive costumes. On the train heading out to the venue, we pass by a packed event with race cars, so we make an impromptu jump off and check it out. Turns out, a (surprise!) drifting event is underway and the top drifters are in attendance.
Now I've alluded to drifting a few times in this blog, so for those who don't know what it is, it is basically driving super-fast cars that slide around corners and make a lot of smoke. It probably doesn't sound too exciting, but there are 2 things I like about it: it makes for really nice-looking rice rocket cars, and really cool stunts. For instance, one event that we saw had 2 cars sliding into a small cramped space marked off by orange cones (like a parallel parking spot). The trick was to see who could slide into place without hitting any cones, and I would have to say it was very very impressive.
We then head over to the Event Center, which is ridiculously HUGE. I mean, it's probably the size of two SFO airports tied together. (It took us about 20 minutes to walk from the front door all the way through to the actual event on the other side) I mean, the whole event was enormous and extravagant: giant booths, actors dressed like characters, giant inflatable characters, huge screens, music, popstars all over the place. I'm guessing it would have been cooler too if we actually watched anime.
Getting late, I suggest to Les that we make one more pit stop to Akihabara (nerd's paradise) so I can do some last minute shopping. I swear, I really could spend all day in that area just perusing at all the toys, games, and electronics. Girls like to window shop for clothes; and guys like to window shop for toys. It's just that way; there's no reason to question it.
We then head to Tokyo Hands one last time to shop for knick-knacks; and if you didn't know, Japanese folk make some of the coolest stationary. We end up buying these neat mechanical pencils that spin the lead so that the tip always stays sharp and pointed in the middle, and pens that have erasers! I mean, the US may have muscle cars and tall basketball players, but we ain't got high-tech pens like the Japanese.
Back at the hotel, it's our last job to get all of our goodies stuffed into our luggage for the ride home. I even manage to pack a MickeyD fried apple pie so I can enjoy it back home in front of my jealous friends. Good thing we pack an extra bag for the haul...not bad for a week's worth of shopping. I must admit, as we pack up, I'm already feeling a little sad, but I know that if I do get nostalgic back home I can always turn on G4 and watch Ninja Warrior.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Vacation from a vacation in Hakone
After about 5 days soaking in the city that is Tokyo, we make a weekend trip out to the town of Hakone; a popular destination for city folk to get away from it all. The town is about 2 hours ride on the RomanceCar (bullet-train, kinda) and located close to Mt. Fuji. It's famous for the natural hot springs, which is basically a 24-7 sauna. I'll get to that later.
So once we get to the station, we find that our hotel is actually up the mountain, about a 40 min drive by bus. Now, if you've seen Initial D or Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, these are the mountains that they drive on. I mean, Knight Ridder would love this road because for 30 min it'll twist and turn, back and forth, and the smallest mistake and whoop! there you go, down the mountain. So you can only imagine how much funner it is watching our teenage bus driver pretend he's canyon driving in a city bus. I think I'm the only one who appreciates it, actually.
45 min later, we finally reach our hotel, which overlooks a valley. Checking in to our room, I'm surprised to find that it is definitely not a typical room, but something out of Karate Kid II. No bed, paper walls, sliding doors, bamboo straw floor, and LCD tv. hmm, I don't remember the tv part and Mr Miyagi, but it's been a while. We change into some Japanese robes and head down to the main attraction of the hotel: the hot spring sauna.
Now for those who don't know what this is, it's basically a super-heated water pool that's naturally heated by the hot springs located underneath the hotel. Since it's always venting heat, these pools are always hot and always running, which means no one has to get up and push the button to turn on the heat every 15 min. The proper etiquette in using these saunas it to first get wash yourself off at the showers, which means you'll be in your skivies (naked). Before you say, whoa, guys and girls naked together? No, the males and females are separated and have their own saunas so no hanky-panky occurs. After about the requisite 2 min of dipping my toe in and out because the water is searing hot, I slowly get deeper and deeper until it's actually quite nice. I might like this spa thing, after all but don't tell anyone.
After the spa treatment, we head to dinner at the restaurant. Boy, talk about 10-course meal. Suffice to say, after we head back to the room, I pretty much crash out on the padded mattress on the ground. It's about 8pm, but I don't think I missed much because there really isn't much to do at night. Not even wifi is available! Blasphemy.
The next day, we check out of the hotel and head to the ropeways, or gondolas, that connect up to the sulfur vents at the top of the mountain. Apparently, it holds the Guiness record for most passenger carried via cables at 2 million last year. Well, at least we know it's safe. At the top of the mountain, which is blistery cold, btw, we make the short hike to the sulfur vents where it smells like rotten eggs and steam billows every which way. They actually tell people not stay there for more than a few minutes since sulfur is, well, actually very toxic; but heck, you can't leave without eating some of those sulfur-cooked eggs! On a side note: eating sweet potatoes is a sure-fire way to get your fiber intake and its consequences. Big time.
We head back to the train station area and we meet up with my classmate, Kaz, who coincidentally recently moved back to Japan after 9 yrs of working in the US. He have an early dinner at a nearby restaurant, and he gives me the lowdown on business culture in Japan vs the US. For instance:
- Most corporate workers work Mon-Sat, 10-12 hrs a day!
- No such thing as business casual, unless it means suit and tie
- Every night, the workers usually go to a bar for drinks after work which you cannot decline; else you will be ostracized and ridiculed
- Japanese companies are trying to mimic western styles for business, but are having a hard time changing cultures because of "old school" mentality. As a result, they are declining in profits and market share to Korean and Chinese companies, but don't know how to react.
- A lot of companies actually don't like MBAs...they rather train their own employees and not bring outside perspectives.
After a tearful farewell, Les and I head back to Tokyo. Although I was a little weary of coming here, it was actually a nice change of pace from the glitz and glamour and traffic and dense population of the big city. The only thing missing was the castle at the end for the big fight scene between Daniel-san and the evil nephew.
So once we get to the station, we find that our hotel is actually up the mountain, about a 40 min drive by bus. Now, if you've seen Initial D or Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, these are the mountains that they drive on. I mean, Knight Ridder would love this road because for 30 min it'll twist and turn, back and forth, and the smallest mistake and whoop! there you go, down the mountain. So you can only imagine how much funner it is watching our teenage bus driver pretend he's canyon driving in a city bus. I think I'm the only one who appreciates it, actually.
45 min later, we finally reach our hotel, which overlooks a valley. Checking in to our room, I'm surprised to find that it is definitely not a typical room, but something out of Karate Kid II. No bed, paper walls, sliding doors, bamboo straw floor, and LCD tv. hmm, I don't remember the tv part and Mr Miyagi, but it's been a while. We change into some Japanese robes and head down to the main attraction of the hotel: the hot spring sauna.
Now for those who don't know what this is, it's basically a super-heated water pool that's naturally heated by the hot springs located underneath the hotel. Since it's always venting heat, these pools are always hot and always running, which means no one has to get up and push the button to turn on the heat every 15 min. The proper etiquette in using these saunas it to first get wash yourself off at the showers, which means you'll be in your skivies (naked). Before you say, whoa, guys and girls naked together? No, the males and females are separated and have their own saunas so no hanky-panky occurs. After about the requisite 2 min of dipping my toe in and out because the water is searing hot, I slowly get deeper and deeper until it's actually quite nice. I might like this spa thing, after all but don't tell anyone.
After the spa treatment, we head to dinner at the restaurant. Boy, talk about 10-course meal. Suffice to say, after we head back to the room, I pretty much crash out on the padded mattress on the ground. It's about 8pm, but I don't think I missed much because there really isn't much to do at night. Not even wifi is available! Blasphemy.
The next day, we check out of the hotel and head to the ropeways, or gondolas, that connect up to the sulfur vents at the top of the mountain. Apparently, it holds the Guiness record for most passenger carried via cables at 2 million last year. Well, at least we know it's safe. At the top of the mountain, which is blistery cold, btw, we make the short hike to the sulfur vents where it smells like rotten eggs and steam billows every which way. They actually tell people not stay there for more than a few minutes since sulfur is, well, actually very toxic; but heck, you can't leave without eating some of those sulfur-cooked eggs! On a side note: eating sweet potatoes is a sure-fire way to get your fiber intake and its consequences. Big time.
We head back to the train station area and we meet up with my classmate, Kaz, who coincidentally recently moved back to Japan after 9 yrs of working in the US. He have an early dinner at a nearby restaurant, and he gives me the lowdown on business culture in Japan vs the US. For instance:
- Most corporate workers work Mon-Sat, 10-12 hrs a day!
- No such thing as business casual, unless it means suit and tie
- Every night, the workers usually go to a bar for drinks after work which you cannot decline; else you will be ostracized and ridiculed
- Japanese companies are trying to mimic western styles for business, but are having a hard time changing cultures because of "old school" mentality. As a result, they are declining in profits and market share to Korean and Chinese companies, but don't know how to react.
- A lot of companies actually don't like MBAs...they rather train their own employees and not bring outside perspectives.
After a tearful farewell, Les and I head back to Tokyo. Although I was a little weary of coming here, it was actually a nice change of pace from the glitz and glamour and traffic and dense population of the big city. The only thing missing was the castle at the end for the big fight scene between Daniel-san and the evil nephew.
Catching up
Ok, so I admit I've neglected the blog for the past 3 weeks since our return from Japan, and I still have the last 2-3 days to cover. But do not fret, for I have the memory of an elephant and can voluntarily zen myself back to the time/place of those days and give a perfect detailed recollection.
So let's begin...wait, was it Tokyo? I forget.
So let's begin...wait, was it Tokyo? I forget.
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