The Chronicles of Japania Day 8 and 9: Kyoto and Shiga

I got a little ahead of myself. AKB48 isn't until next week. This weekend we hit up Kyoto and Shiga. More old school Japan. Nothing too entertaining this time guys.

We arrive in Kyoto around 11am and the station there is pretty awesome. Huge and pretty modern looking. Also Kyoto is the only place to get those famed green tea Kit Kat bars. Little things are expensive. Going by the station, it looks like pretty normal Japan. A modern station with tons of people. You don't really get the feel of the city until you walk into the city. It has a much different feel than Tokyo. It has a much more traditional feel. Kevin tells me that government passed some sort of law where the tallest building can't be taller than the temples in Kyoto. I thought that was pretty cool. We walked everywhere that day. I think we calculated we walked a good 7 miles in Kyoto. We hit up a couple temples and whatever was on the way. The temples were pretty awesome. Check the pics on facebook to really see what I saw. I forgot what we ate that day?

After we do the temple thing there was a change in the original plans. At first Kev was thinking we spend two days in Kyoto but after further thought he was like well there isnt't much else after the temples and what not. So he decides that instead we will go to Shiga and spend the night there and his host families house. Back in the day when Kevin went to high school in Japan this was the host family he stayed with. He became very close with them and even after all this time has kept in touch with them which is pretty groovy. So he's all like yo Gene how you feel about staying at a traditional Japanese house? I'm like sweeet. Little does he know how freaking terrified I am of The Grudge and now he's taking me to a place where she usually manifests herself. Fantastic.

We get off the train in Hikone and its about a 20 minute or so walk to his house. Nice cool night. Showing me things along the way. Then we get to the street of his house and we hang a right off the main road. There are like... no street lights anywhere. Its dark as hell and grudge houses to my left and grudge houses to my right. My life ends tonight in Japan. I can feel it.

Fortunately there is no story about how I actually went through a grudge experience in that house. Or I just couldn't conjure up a good enough story to tell. But there was some scary ass stairs just like in the movie.

I go into the house and I'm greeted by his host family. Some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. His mom is such a pleasant person. I want her to be my host mom too. His dad is like an OG. Just chillin. He is a cool dude. And one of his sisters and her 3 children were also there. Mutsumi was your sisters name was it? I think so. She is 30 years old..doesnt look a day

They made dinner and it was off the chains. Shrimp Tempura and a bunch of sides. Great food. Kevin your a rice MACHINE. This guy can down like 3 bowls of rice with a beer and nothing else. Pretty amazing to watch. After dinner we're just hanging around the house. Kevin plays with his 3 nieces and nephews and literally kills an hour and a half throwing a tissue box back and forth with them. What a fool... I watched the whole time it was pretty entertaining.

That pretty much wraps up the night. You know what the next day was really short so I can go ahead and fit that in here too.

The next day I meet his younger sister Yumi. His family takes us around the city for lunch and see a couple of things and we hit Hikone Castle which is an old school castle from the olden days. Pretty cool place. We walk around a bit and a few hours later we head back to the house and they take us out to dinner. More yakiniku bbq. Damn it was off the chains. Refer to pictures. The beef tongue. Good Lowd. Met his brother Yuken and his two daughters. They named them Heart and Cute. Yes thats right. Heart and Cute. Not heart and cute in Japanese and I just translated it. No no, its really Heart. And Cute. Um..yea.

Thats about it for that day. We just took it easy. Caught a late train back to Nagoya and called it a night. Relaxing weekend. Nothing epic.


Random convo for the weekend:

Kevin: yo man, how you doin? its cool? the house is cool?
Gene - yea man. this is tight. except im scared as hell of the grudge
Kevin - wtf is that?
Gene - what?? the grudge?? you dont know the grudge? JUON?? come on man your in Japan...
Kevin - uh.. so.. what, is she gonna come out of the tv or something?
Gene - DUDE, thats the RING, GOSSHHH
Kevin - um.. alright dude.. take it easy...
Gene - *scoff* over 22... has 3 kids... and, dude sorry bro, but your sister is HOT. Alright now that that is awkwardly out of the way let us move on.

The Chronicles of Japania Day 7: Sakae

Nevermind about the preview I had from last time. Gonna go in a different direction. Well i get up early once again today but I can't really go anywhere yet as I'm waiting for my ipod to arrive. I run to the 7-11 real quick and pick up some breakfast. 7-11 is off the chains. I stick around the aparment til about 1130 when the deliver guy shows up to deliever my ipod. Its even bubble wrapped. Gotta love the Japanese. I get ready to start my day and head out to the bank to get some more yen. Its raining outside, and its cold too. I get to the bank Kevin tells me to go to and I sit down and go through the normal language difficulties to try to get things done. After like 15 minutes of nonsense they tell me that they don't do currency exchange for foreigners. Yea, only Japan residents can change money. What kind of sense does that make I don't know. They even showed me a sign in english that says just that. Baloney. Oh well, I can find a place elsewhere. GAH I forgot my phone. Head back to the apartment to get the phone. Now I dont wanna leave. Its like noon. Ok I'm not leaving anymore. I sit down and do something or another for like... 4 hours. Ok time to get up. To Sakae!

Sakae is probably my favorite area. I love this place. It has a little bit of everything. It has all kinds of shopping and all kinds of food and all sorts of interesting people. I went there everyday this week. It also happens to be the area where Kevin works so it makes for a great meet up place. TULLYS what whaaattt!!!

Anyways, as I'm walking around the city I'm starting to notice something. Now the holidays are fast approaching and it appears as if the people in this country are all up into it. It seems every store I walk into they are playing either some form of jingle bells or... Last Christmas by Wham! Dudes literally every store I walked into it was some form of Laaaast Christmas I gave you my heart.... And when I say ALL forms of that song. I mean ALL forms of that song.

Male vocals...Last Christmassss.... Female vocals.... I gave you my heartttt... boy band..... but the very next day (next day).... school girl band......you gave it you gave it you gave it away(way). ...

techno remix version... mm jtt mm jtt mm jtt mm jtt L-L-L-L-Lassst (bell chime) christmasss.. i gave you my heart heart heart heart mm jtt mm jtt mm jtt

even gangster rap remix... yo yo it was this time last year mutha f*ckaaaa. I gave you my heart mutha f*ckaaaa.. then you gave that sh*t away to some other ho ass trick mutha f*ckkaaaa

Sersiously... what the hell. I know, Ill ask Kevin.

Gene - bro, sup with wham playing eveyrwhere i go? do they know thats a sad song?
Kevin - dude...
Gene - seems christmas here is pretty big tho..
Kevin - dude... i... like... its like... the thing... i.. xmas is.. its like...SIIGGHH
Gene - dude, deep breathes. you ok?
Kevin - christmas in Japan is crap dawg. this country made me dislike christmas so much
Gene - Why?
Kevin - man they dont do it right man. its not for the right reasons
Gene - what you talking about? they play wham
Kevin - dude...first of all. its a country full of buddhist. and christmas is supposed to be about family and stuff. you know how it be back home. you know what they do here? KFC
Gene - KFC? what does that mean
Kevin - KFC.. the Chicken... kentucky fried chicken
Gene - i dont follow..
Kevin - for christmas...you take your girlfriend... to KFC.. thats what you do. thats like.. the thing you do for christmas. you like have to reserves tables at the damn KFC
Gene - LOL hahhaha, are you serious. thats hilarious
Kevin - Yea no... im not feelin that shit man. christmas is wack here man
Gene - Well like..

Convo ended. It doesnt get any further than that. Kevin is upset. And he storms off somewhere in a hissy fit. We dont like upset Kevin. Damn Christmas in Japan... damn you....


Wham... in Japan... It's awesome. You even hear it randomly walking around in the forest. its everywhere. George Michael 1 Universe 0


Preview for next day: I will attempt to describe the phenomenon that is AKB48