Post-Japan plans

I can take a ferry from Kobe that goes directly to Beijing (actually Tanggu but it doesn't matter) for about $200 (I might be able to get a student discount---thank you Brandeis for not printing expiration dates on the students IDs). I don't know the details of the ride yet, but its a much better option than the Osaka-Shanghai plan I originally had. From Shanghai, I would have had to take a train north to Beijing (a 14-hour trip) and then take the same train back south to continue on towards Vietnam. I'm jazzed.

At the moment, the plan is to travel around Japan in mid-January, then take the ferry to Beijing, see the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Mao-soleum, the old and new Summer Palaces, etc;, then head south to Nanjing, Shanghai and Sichuan, (or first head to Chengdu and Tibet), and then head through Hong Kong and Guangzhou before crossing the border into Vietnam. From Vietnam its onto Cambodia and Thailand. That's as far as I've gotten.

The no-look pass

I've been receiving texts and phone calls from some of you back home, but thanks to the assholes at Softbank I can't respond to any of them. My old service provider, Vodafone, was recently bought out by Softbank. I paid my October bill to Vodafone (I didn't know my provider officially became Softbank on the first and Vodafone sent me the October bill first, so that's the one I paid) but Softbank shut off my service because they never saw that money.

In Japan, you can pay all of your utility bills at convenience stores. I always pay my phone bill at the FamilyMart near my house, but I never keep the receipt because until now, I had never had a problem like this. So, I have to go and talk to someone at one of the now Softbank stores and see if I can get my service turned back on. I was supposed to go to Kyoto today and see some temples but without a cell phone, it would have been impossible to meet up with Yuka on Thursday, so I'm stuck in Nagoya for the day.

Basically, all telecommunications companies suck. Verizon was run by a bunch of assholes, Softbank is clearly run by assholes, and Vodafone was run by assholes. Its just how it works. I've never heard anyone say a good thing about their cell phone company. Ever.

Horyuji and Thanksgiving

Yuka and I went to Horyuji in Nara-ken for Thanksgiving. Nara is roughly a three-hour train ride from where I am. We planned ahead and only traveled at peak hours though, so no one bothered us and we were able to get to Nara and back for about six bucks. I love the train system in Japan. It's comfy, you can drink on it, it goes everywhere, its reliable, and its easy to avoid paying for it. I wish they had something like this in America. Only if you could cheat it though. I wonder how you could take planes for free..

We had plans to see these three temples outside of Nara but spent the entire day at the first one. I didn't think it was going to be so big or so interesting. There was an art museum there (taking pictures was forbidden inside... and so was sketching for some reason), and a group of lovely Korean tourists shared the space with us.

The week before we went hiking in Toyota (the company is named for the town) with some of Yuka's friends. We went to an Indian restaurant afterwards and some Nepalese guy working there struck up conversation with me. I thought Nepalese people spoke English but I guess not. I couldn't tell if he was speaking Japanese or English to me when he tried to say something. The Japanese people I was with said the same thing. Completely incomprehensible.

It was a good Thanksgiving even if it was the first one I've spent away from home. I think if I had spent it alone and without Yuka I would gotten pretty bummed out, but we stayed pretty busy and I was in the mood for curry anyway. On the ride home we got tipsy on Chuhi (the wise traveler always packs some) and ate Green Tea Kit Kits which have just become available again. On the train back to Nagoya I had to listen to these Australians having an intellectual debate. They came to the conclusion that personality is more important than looks when dating someone. Brilliant. Coincidentally, they were all ugly.

Yuka the planner

Not that I'm complaining. I've always been fine with other people deciding where I go and what I do. I mean that too. This weekend we're headed to Kyoto (my second time) to see the Kinkakuji (pictured). We both just finished reading Mishima Yukio's novel by the same name so we're in the mood. Her days off are kind of strange, in that she has Thursdays and every other Monday, so she can only spend a day with me. I'm going to head down this Wednesday and see some things by my lonesome. I'll crash in an internet cafe (probably Popeye's) and try to ignore the fact that I'll be completely alone on my birthday. By the way, my number is 090 6095 1895 and my phone's email address is bennegan@c.vodafone.ne.jp if you want to call or text me. Just throwing it out there.

So Yuka has planned something for almost everday right up until I leave (I picked up my passport today and now I need to get the ball rolling on Cambodia and Vietnam), with this weekend being spent in Kyoto, the weekend of the 15th in Takayama, and New Year's in Tokyo. Her mom has friends or a boyfriend that lives in Chiba so we'll be able to crash at their/his place. The agenda for our Kanto trip is going to be Nikko (the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu... I think), Tokyo, Yokohama (maybe... all I know about Yokohama is their Chinatown is famous. But I'll be going to China soon anyway, so who cares?), Kamakura (one of the shogunates was based there and it has a giant reclining Buddha), and Chiba (maybe).

...

I'm such a dirtbag. I have a giant pile of teabags in front of me that I just stole from the free drink area. I'm gonna fill the front pocket of my sweatshirt before I leave here tonight. What can I say? I hate spending money.

Himeji sucks

Brucie, tell you're friend that I can say with confidence, as someone who has never been there, that Himeji is the asshole of the world. I would rather mop-up at the peep shows in hell than stop there for a night. People from there are not only the ugliest and dumbest human beings I've ever met, but they have all the charm and culture of 16th-century Chinese public restroooms.

I would like to see their castle before I leave though.

I got the paperwork started today for my Chinese Visa. I couldn't even believe how easy it was. When I was planning my trip back in August the guy at No. 1 Travel told me that I had to show the Chinese officials my flight reservations as well as everything else to prove when I was entering and leaving. Totally unnecessary. I showed up dressed for success, but other than that I didn't have much to show them. I hadn't even filled out the paperwork properly (I could't quite decide on my purpose in China, was I there to: 'THOULS88DKJ' or to 'OTIYU$HIOU'?). The woman behind the counter had spoken in Chinese and Japanese before I got to the window and I was positive that I was walking into a liguistic disaster before she busted out her well-pronounced English as well. It was a snap and I can pick up my passport again in a week as long as I pay them 6000 yen. Which, thanks to the rapidly- plummeting yen, is now about $0.40 US.

I celebrated my accidental success with pancakes and coffee at McDonalds and an International Herald. I've been having logistical problems with how to get out of Pakistan (if I actually go) since I'll be fenced in by Afghanistan and Iran. The solution might be a short flight or boat-trip to the UAE before heading towards Egypt or Israel via Saudi Arabia. That sounds extra sexy to me because of the potential violence factor. I got the idea from Wu, who went there and said it was a blast, and from the newspaper today because there was an article about how the US State Department is now using the UAE as their base of operations in learning all they can about Iran. So maybe I can meet actual spies and CIA workers trying to overthrow the Iranian government while I'm there! ... I hope I see lions!

I guess thats it. I'm in a great mood so hopefully my postings in the future will have less morbid self-loathing and more humor. I noticed people admitting in emails to me that they're not reading this crap anymore. I guess details about what I ate in Hiroshima doesn't attract the interest that a funny story about climbing Mt. Fuji does. Oh well.

I failed

The Chinese embassy in Nagoya closes at noon. I failed.

I have to think of something else to do with my day. I just got lunch. That's out. Almost everyone I know is working. So hanging out is out too. It's too early to go sit in a bar. That's out. I only have an hour on this terminal so I can't download music or write emails or watch clips of the Colbert Report. Damn man. I have plans to go hiking with Yuka tomorrow so I can't really get out of the area either. I guess I can find a museum or something to sit around in...

I think speaking English to people who work in services is the way to go. I just saw some young kid with a Japanese girlfriend speak lightning fast to some McDonald's worker and she was frantic in trying to keep up with him. He acted cocky and slightly annoyed even after he gave her a really complicated order. "Hold this, hold this, this is ok, this is ok, and can I get some extra (something) on the side? Thanks." But even if he was being incosiderate he came out of the thing looking sort-of cool and she looked like an idiot. That's way better than when I go to McDonald's and try to order in Japanese and I can tell the worker behind the counter just wants to laugh at me. I try like crazy but they still correct my grammar in a subtle way. I hate it man. I feel like a loser. I'd rather make them feel like crap because they can't understand me than the other way around.

Japan skipped fall. It went directly from summer to winter. I remember just two weeks ago sweating in my shirt and tie on the way to work and now today I have on three layers.

I have no idea what to write about. I update this thing because I've made a commitment to it, but not since Mt. Fuji have I felt like I had something to say.

For a good time, download 'Take Five' by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It rocks. It jazzes? No. Its jazzy. There you go.

A while back (I don't think I've mentioned this yet), Pat asked some student what his hobbies were are and the guy responded: 'I like... ham.' Ham? He was looking for 'tennis' I think. I get those confused sometimes too.

I grew some sideburns and I think I'm gonna let the rest of my hair grow out to complete this new 'I don't have a job' look. Maybe mohawk it for China, but I'll go tighter on top so it looks more distinguished.

Hey Lou, I looked at that sight you sent me a link for. Brilliant. I've included it as a link. Vice Mag. I wish this blog read like their site.

Student recommendations

I had this cool guy in a lesson the other day who recommended a Japanese punk band to me. I don't know much about punk, but one of the first (the first?) British punk bands was The Damned. They released an album called 'Machine Gun Etiquette' which made waves in Japan. The band this guy recommended, Thee Machine Gun Elephant, was named for the way one of the members pronounced The Damned's export. If you like early punk and don't mind the Japanese, then I guess I would recommend it. I like The Clash better, but its listenable.

Racially profiled

Not much to report

Three students are going to come over on Sunday for a Nabe party. Nabe is some kind of Japanese dish with like... an arrangement of meat and vegetables.... actually I have no idea what Nabe is, and I can't be bothered to look it up. But they're gonna come over and we're gonna eat it.

I heard from Starr for the first time in a few weeks and we're ironing out the details of our trip together. Nothing is set in stone yet, so expect details as we figure them out.

I have tomorrow and Thursday off so I'm gonna go to the Chinese embassy and get my Visa paperwork started.

I'm scheduled to work at 5 today so I came to Nagoya for McDonald's pancakes and a copy of The Economist. I went out front of the JR Station to read the tourist map and got stopped by a cop. He wanted to see my passport and foreign registration card and to ask me where I was headed. I was outraged. He was just a little guy, so when he started talking to me and I got the gist of what he wanted, I stood up as straight as I could to tower over him. It would have been awesome to be like, Luke's height then. He acted like he was concerned that I was lost but then threw in little comments like, 'OH, a Nova teacher' and crap like that. Yup, that's me. I only support racial profiling when its done to other people.

Pat has had that happen a few times to him　so far, but it was a first for me. I don't like it. I dont like it much at all.

Hiroshima, Mt. Mizen, and the Midterms

I finished uploading my Hiroshima pictures.

I've been telling this story backwards, but a week ago I went to Hiroshima, Miyajima and Okayama. I spent most of the 30th in Osaka, waiting for the overnight bus to Hiroshima (a 7 hour trip). I got to Osaka by 1:30pm and... wait, did I already tell this story? Ok, I just checked. Nope. I tried to see a few things in Osaka but was a horrible failure. Tennoji park was closed for some reason and when I got to the Osaka Museum of History it only had an hour left to closing time. I passed on it and just wandered around getting drunk on Chuhi. The bus was scheduled to leave at 11:50pm and it was only 5pm when all of the touristy stuff closed. So I had about 7 hours to kill and no one to hang out with. I just sat down on the side of a flower box and waved at Japanese people. Most of the people who walked by me felt it necessary to stare (despite this being the busy downtown area of Japan's second largest city... don't they have foreigners here?) so I just smiled and waved at them until they got embarassed and hurried on their way. A big group of girls were checking me out and they giggled like crazy when I waved to them but I wasn't drunk enough to follow them around and bother them. Plus my Japanese really isn't that good and I wouldn't even know where to start.

I ate a whole bunch of weird Osaka food in an effort to kill time. I got some takoyaki (octopus balls), which most of the other teachers can't stand. I think its awesome but as I didn't let it cool it was a little too doughy. I went to the bus station in Nanba when everything else got boring. There's this group of entertainers in Japan called SMAP, which I would compare to the Backstreet Boys or N'Sync or something, and they all sing together and release albums and whatever, but they also have TV shows and a bunch of other projects. Probably a clothing line. So I was watching their cooking show (they break into two teams and they also host it) and falling asleep in my chair waiting on the bus. It finally showed up and it was just me, a few Japanese people, and a whole Indian family. I think they were Indian but only the youngest son spoke any English which confused me. I thought everyone in India spoke English...

I woke up probably once an hour when the bus took a turn or when I heard a horn or something, but was able to sleep for most of the trip. I got off the bus at Hiroshima station and got breakfast at Mastuya before sunrise. I checked my guide and found a park that I could walk around before everything else opened up. On my way I found a little Shinto shrine so I prayed and then hiked up the side of this big hill to the park. The Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art is housed in the park, but as it was still only 7am or something I had to settle with peaking in the windows.

I started towards the A-Bomb Dome and got there right before it opened at 8am. I checked out all of the museums and walked around the park that was created out of the rubble near ground zero. I took the same pictures that every tourist takes of the Dome and you can see them all on Flickr.

I hate traveling alone though. I don't get to be in any of these pictures unless I want to set my camera down on something and look like a complete idiot standing in front of it waiting for it to go off. I also don't like making stupid faces or taking weird pictures alone. It's only fun and spontaneous with someone else. Alone its just lame.

So I saw the museums and they're great. Lots of information, lots of media (videos, pictures, models of the city, blah blah blah), and its gripping. I would recommend to any and everyone to see the museum here because unfortunately I'm not going to do it justice with my poor writing and lack of visuals. Pictures of the city where people's shadows are burned into the concrete, a gigantic searchable database of all the surviors' stories (with great English translations), and an honest retelling of the causes behind World War II and the reasons for dropping the bomb.

Also, everytime a new bomb is tested somewhere in the world the mayor of Hiroshima writes a letter pleading for an end to atomic weapons and invites the politicans of whatever country to visit the museum and see what this is leading us all towards. Copies of all the letters that have been written since 1960 are on display. Attention USA, attention Soviet Union, attention France, attention India, etc;

After the museum I went to Miyajima. There's this famous red torii gate there which is the most photographed spot in Japan. I got my obligatory shots as well. I also took these videos climbing and descending the mountain there. Climbing up Mt. Mizen and taking the ropeway back down the mountain. I thought I would only use one of these and delete the other one, but wound up keeping them both. So I wished you all a Happy Halloween twice.

Trip was good. Shit I'm about to run out of time at this cafe. I don't even have time to go back and check my grammar... Hopefully that doesn't sound too dumb...

Okayama and waking up at 5am

For me, who likes to travel and doesn't like to spend money, sleeping in internet cafes is the way to go. It cost me about 15 bucks to sleep for 6 hours in a private booth with a bed. That was enough rest for me once it was combined with some coffee from McDonald's. I would like to thank McDonald's by the way for opening at 6am in Okayama, exactly when I needed them to. I would also like to thank their staff for keeping the bathroom meticulously clean so that I could brush my teeth and wash my face and make a giant mess in the process without feeling too much like a homeless person.

I left Miyajima island (close to Hiroshima) around 5pm on the 31st, with the intention of going as far as possible before the trains stopped running. I paid 180 yen just to get on the train and as, thankfully, no one asked to see my ticket, I didn't spend a ton of money like I would have if I was a more honest person. I got as far as Okayama before 9pm and decided I didn't want to get stranded in Himeji or somewhere where I might have difficulty in finding a hotel or an internet cafe. I kept an eye on the stations we passed through so that I could lie convincingly at Okayama about where I had got on. As long as the station looked closed down or I couldn't see a ticket agent, then I had a good reason why I was getting off the train without a ticket to prove where I came from. It cost me 1110 yen to get off the train over 3 hours after I got on. Its dishonest but it rocks.

I got some curry from CoCoIchibanya (think the McDonald's of curry), and then wandered up and down the center of the city looking for inspiration. I started just asking random people where an internet cafe was and got three cute middle-aged women to tell me where I could find one. I crashed (after updating this blog briefly) and then woke up the next day at 5am. I was a minute or two late in checking out of the cafe so they charged me an extra 84 yen. Bastards.

I walked down to the castle and the city's impressive garden, Korakuen, but both were closed until 8am. I walked back towards the cafe hoping to find somewhere warm and quiet where I could read and kill some time. I got all the way back to the train station just as McDonald's was opening. I got coffee and their pancake breakfast thing. I know everyone has had it once but probably not for years, right? I've had a jones for it before but I never seem to make it on time. Anyway, I ate and had some coffee and read the book I brought. I left just before 8 and watched everyone waking up and heading off to work. That sucks. I was all smelly and unshaven and homeless looking, but that's so much better than getting up at that hour and heading off to work. I got to the garden and was one of the only people there when it opened. I took a ton of pictures but don't have my camera on me right now. I'll upload them when I get around to it, alright? I passed on the castle as its one of the ferro-concrete ones and probably incredibly boring inside. I mean, all the castles I've seen so far are pretty boring but at least I can pretend to be really interested in the architecture and history if the castle is an original. I got some curry at Matsuya (a Japanese chain restaurant that is found on every corner in every city in Japan) and then hopped on the train again.

I had much worse luck on the train ride home but it was because I made the rookie mistake of traveling in the afternoon after rush hour ended. I got asked not once, but twice for my ticket. Son of a bitch! I was able to lie convincingly both times so the damage wasn't as bad as it should have been, but I still had to cough up 30 bucks to the train conductors.

I got home yesterday at 5 or 6, and just spent the rest of the day eating junk food and reading. Today was more of the same and I'm gonna meet Yuka tonight for dinner and maybe a movie.

La la la...

Books

Tried, unsuccessfully, to get through Catch-22 for a second time. It's not difficult or boring to read through, it just isn't good enough to finish. I said it.

I picked up Yukio Mishima's 'Kinkakuji' and 'The Poetical Works of Milton.' While traveling in western Japan I read through the first 200 pages of 'Swann's Way' so I'll finish that before starting anything new.

No one cares.

Jaden's First Halloween

Isn't he adorable? My sister has only sent me this photo so I don't know how my nephew's first halloween went. I think he was a chicken. I doubt he had any say in the affair as he can't speak yet.

On a related note, Britney Spears is having another kid and according to my source is planning to name this one Jaden. And my source has never been wrong about anything before in her entire life. And makes awesome birthday cakes. And eats entirely too many strawberries.