Hachiko->getStolen();

I just read in the paper this morning that Hachiko (wikipedia link), the statue of the loyal dog that is one of the major social points of Tokyo was stolen last night. Police suspect that it was stolen by metal theives to be melted down and sold in China. I saw the statue a few days ago so I was lucky. It is probably gone for good.

I also saw an article about the company that makes the brand of cat food I buy has found rat poison in some of their food. Fortunately it is in the cuts-and-gravy style food. I don`t use that type of food so my kitties should be safe.

EOL

This is it. I leave Japan tomorrow. My flight is at 4 in the afternoon and I get in at 11 at Ottawa. It will be about 20 hours of traveling/layover. It will be trying. I almost went bonkers with boredom on the trip over here.

The last two days have been really nice. Meeting old friends who moved here. Yesterday we met Krista and today we met Yuki. Yuki brought a bunch of her friends with her who all used to live in Ottawa. There were 7 of us in total and we wandered around Shinjuku park and then went to an izakiya (half way between a bar and a restaurant).

We are both very tired and our feet are killing us. When I get home I am going to give my cats a big hug and then go to bed.

need--; need++;

Some things Japan needs less of:

• pachinko places
• stairs

Some things Japan needs more of:

• garbage cans
• benches

UPDATE:
One more thing Japan needs less of: 20 year old guys with BonJovi hair-cuts.

learnNewThings();

A few things I have learned from being in Japan for the past week and a half:

• There are manga dedicated strictly to teaching golf techniques.
• Women in kimonos are Hot. That is hot with a capital h.
• While generally more polite then their North American counterparts, Japanese homeless people are just as insane and smelly.
• 3 days in Tokyo is enough to turn your snot black from breathing all the crap in the air.
  

UPDATE: One more thing added to the list

• Walking for twelve hours straight is enough to give one a case of crotch rot that would rival a jew lost in the desert.

$shaking = false;

Some of you may have heard about the earthquake here in Japan and are wondering if I am OK. I`m fine. It happened in a totally different part of Japan than I am in. No need to worry.

//Downtime

I finally have some time to sit and write in this journal.

Japan is amazing. Things are happening everywhere. There is always something to do. I thought I would give quick reviews of the cities we have been to so far.

Osaka: pretty cool, but we didn`t actually spend much time in the city itself. We kept going to places nearby. Comparing it to Tokyo is sort of like comparing Ottawa to Montreal (for you Canadians in the audience). Be sure to turn off the beaten path every now and then.

Kobe: holy crap this city is awesome! The harbor front at night is absolutely gorgeous! I think Kobe is my favourite city so far on this trip.

Kyoto: not much to say about Kyoto. If you like temples and walking uphill, go to Kyoto.

Himeji: half way between a small town and a city. The castle is cool, but if you ever find yourself in Himeji, do yourself a favour and go visit shoshazan-enkyo Temple. Really great place, and the only place I have ever experienced absolute, complete and total silence. Not even the rain was making any noise when it hit the ground.

Miyajima: beautiful and slow paced. Nice for a mid-vacation recharge but you can do everything there is to do in 1 or 2 days. We stayed in a top of the line hotel so we had a very comfortable time.

Tokyo: can be summed up in two words: FUTURE TOWN!