Even the Ice Cold Max melts at a sight like this :~)
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Sometimes, Japanese children are just too cute not to post on a blog.
Exhibit A: Four year old Ayane. Photo taken whilst she is wrapped around my leg between fits of laughter.
Even the Ice Cold Max melts at a sight like this :~)
Even the Ice Cold Max melts at a sight like this :~)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The best deodorant in the world....
... is this one. Not because of the smell, but because of this unbelievably awesome name.
Now just watch all the chicks wet their panties over me.
Now just watch all the chicks wet their panties over me.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
A scene while bike riding...
A little shot I took while riding my bike in Nishi-Shinjuku today...
Not a sight you see everyday in Australia!
Not a sight you see everyday in Australia!
Monday, October 01, 2007
The Untapped Market: Korean Mothers
Something I`ve discovered in the last couple of weeks is the number of immigrant Korean women who are living in Japan, are married (usually) to Japanese men, and have children. The children are often attending International School, and so study English a hell of a lot more than their native Japanese counterparts. This in turn causes their mothers to realise that their own English levels are far below the standard required to efficiently supplement their child`s learning while at home, and thus presents an interesting and practically unlimited source of work for private English teachers such as myself.
What brought this on was what occurred today. I gave my second lesson to one Korean mother, who was referred to me by the mother of my one-and-only piano student, also Korean. While having this lesson, she told me that another friend of hers is coming immediately after the lesson because she, also, has a young child at International School and feels she needs to be able to speak more English. However, when it rains it pours. That one friend turned out to be two friends (now a friend of a friend of a friend!), and the two of them both informed me that many of their other Korean mother friends are similarly interested in taking lessons!
Incredible! I didn`t even have to search for them. It seems that in this case at least, once your foot is in the door, work will find you! Happy days!
What brought this on was what occurred today. I gave my second lesson to one Korean mother, who was referred to me by the mother of my one-and-only piano student, also Korean. While having this lesson, she told me that another friend of hers is coming immediately after the lesson because she, also, has a young child at International School and feels she needs to be able to speak more English. However, when it rains it pours. That one friend turned out to be two friends (now a friend of a friend of a friend!), and the two of them both informed me that many of their other Korean mother friends are similarly interested in taking lessons!
Incredible! I didn`t even have to search for them. It seems that in this case at least, once your foot is in the door, work will find you! Happy days!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Trip to Mt Fuji and Hakone
Hi everyone!Yesterday I got back from an overnight stay near Mt Fuji. It was really quite amazing. It's a bloody huge mountain!
We rented a car and drove out of Tokyo. It is only about 100km from the centre of town so it wasn't a difficult journey. As we approached, we saw the giant mountain peeking out from behind the clouds. Really quite impressive.
We drove up as far as we could (halfway) and got out to have a look around. Fuji is divided into 10 stations, 1 being the bottom and 10 being the summit. So after driving to 5, we decided to walk to 6. It was chilly but the sun was strong - a little too strong as I was to discover after we left by means of a terrible sunburn. Anyhow it was a pretty easy path, a bit gravelly with all kinds of volcanic rocks and whatnot. The view was fantastic, however.
We left, and drove about another 40km to the place we were staying, near Lake Saiko at the bottom of the mountain ranges. Quite a nice little place - like a bed and breakfast but for only $50 a night each including breakfast! Great views of the mountains from our window.
The next day we drive off to Hakone where we discover an even bigger lake called Ashinoko and we find a whole lot of (what the Japanese refer to as) pirate ships transporting people around the lake. So, we took a cruise on one of them to the other side, had lunch, and then cruised back again. On our return we took a ride on the Hakone Ropeway, a big long cable car system taking you up and over the mountain. Good fun! During the ride you go over the Hakone hot springs - quite literally hot gas bubbling out of the ground, and a strong smell of sulphur.
After that, we drove back to Tokyo, though the roads were jam packed and it took us at least an hour more than it should've. We took a break and drove down to Odaiba in Tokyo Bay and had dinner, took a few more photos, and then came back home.
It was a great weekend! Fuji-san is really impressive so I recommend it to everyone.
If you want to see the photos, well, I hope this link works.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Give me a break!
This screenshot was taken at roughly 7:15pm. And it really does feel like 38 degrees :(
UPDATE: It's now 12:35AM on Saturday Morning and WeatherDock tells me it's 31 degrees, feels like 34. Fuck, shit, give me a fucking break.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Burger King in Tokyo!
Burger King is back in Tokyo after a number of years away! I went there last night, to the one in Nishi-Shinjuku's I-land Tower and got the good shit, the Double Whopper.
My verdict: Delicious, and absolutely enormous. They use NZ beef, which I guess is close enough to Aussie Beef for me to be at least moderately patriotic.
My verdict: Delicious, and absolutely enormous. They use NZ beef, which I guess is close enough to Aussie Beef for me to be at least moderately patriotic.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
My new place!
So, two weeks ago, Takako and I moved into a 60 sq. metre 2LDK apartment in Honancho, only 5 stops from Shinjuku. Here are some pictures!
The living room: those stupid paper curtains have since been replaced. Also there is now a yellow armchair that doubles as a massage chair in there too.
The kitchen: came with a free gas cooker (most people take them when they move out).
My bedroom: well, at least, my new desk in my bedroom.
The bathroom. You can't see it but there's a pink toilet seat cover on the toilet. Damn girls.
View from the living room - on the left is the kitchen, my bedroom and bathroom. Right is Takako's bedroom.
Anyway, it's pretty nice! Spacious due to our lack of furniture, but still comfortable and easy to clean. No wuzzas!
The living room: those stupid paper curtains have since been replaced. Also there is now a yellow armchair that doubles as a massage chair in there too.
The kitchen: came with a free gas cooker (most people take them when they move out).
My bedroom: well, at least, my new desk in my bedroom.
The bathroom. You can't see it but there's a pink toilet seat cover on the toilet. Damn girls.
View from the living room - on the left is the kitchen, my bedroom and bathroom. Right is Takako's bedroom.
Anyway, it's pretty nice! Spacious due to our lack of furniture, but still comfortable and easy to clean. No wuzzas!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Driving in Tokyo ROCKS!!!
So, today I rented a van and drove it around Tokyo, moving house! The moving was pretty hard work but driving the van around Tokyo was TOTALLY AWESOME. Such an amazing feeling of freedom, with the a/c cranked to max, cruising arond... jesus... it was awesome.
I want a car.
Here's the van I rented...
... and here's what we filled it with!
I want a car.
Here's the van I rented...
... and here's what we filled it with!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Moving out
Well, I'm finally moving out of this guesthouse and into more permanent accommodation, namely, the aforementioned 2LDK in Nakano-ko, 5 stops from Shinjuku. Should be good! I've just finished packing and, luckily, I haven't accumulated much more stuff than I arrived with, save for some speakers, a laptop, a keyboard... but they're all boxable so no wuzzas mate.
The room certainly looks empty, with, well, practically nothing in it. Still, I couldn't be happier!
Next stage, next dream!
The room certainly looks empty, with, well, practically nothing in it. Still, I couldn't be happier!
Next stage, next dream!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Photos from last night's Karaoke and drunken partying
A selection has been made for your enjoyment :)
Karaoke pictures! Me, Takako, Vince, Catherine, and Lance.
Quite shitfaced by the end of it, I got carried through Ikebukuro... Vince was far worse though.
Vince then got so drunk at home that he went crazy. Destroying the house etc. When he wrestled me...
... I took him down...
...and we carried him into his room.
Get in there you drunken lunatic!
Karaoke pictures! Me, Takako, Vince, Catherine, and Lance.
Quite shitfaced by the end of it, I got carried through Ikebukuro... Vince was far worse though.
Vince then got so drunk at home that he went crazy. Destroying the house etc. When he wrestled me...
... I took him down...
...and we carried him into his room.
Get in there you drunken lunatic!
omfg wtf vince!!!
Thanks Vince, for last night getting so destructively drunk that you set fire to the flyscreens and then released two powder fire extinguishers in the doorway of our place. Even my laptop keys are covered with the shit. Further thanks for not cleaning it up despite being in our now-blanketed-in-pink place all day.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
What's new these days
Well, I realised I haven't updated my blog with any of my recent happenings lately, so I thought I'd give a bit of a rundown of the latest.
First and foremost, I am moving out! My contract at this guesthouse expires on the 30th of June, giving me 13 more days here. Yesterday was spent looking at apartments with my friend Takako, and after a lot of anxiety and decision-making inability on her part, she finally agreed that moving out with me would be a good idea. Yesterday we found a great 2DK in a place called Hounancho, only 5 stops from Shinjuku, for ¥135,000 (AU$1350) a month. Obviously divide that by two, and then add the cost of utilities (which, hopefully, won't be all THAT much) and I am paying only about $30 a week extra than I am here. The size of the place is amazing though - compare this: Current room in guesthouse = 9 sq. metres (plus shared kitchen, bathroom etc.). New place = 60 sq. metres! And only sharing with one other person. Suh-weet. The only unfortunate thing is the difficulty asosciated with renting an apartment in Japan. While we got one without the usual "key money" (literally a "gift" of 1 month's rent to the owner just for good faith), the fee for the real estate agency is also 1 month's rent. In other words, to move in we have to pay, in total, $1350 (fee), $1350 (first month's rent), plus compulsory insurance and lock-changing fee (about $300), plus Takako, having more savings than me, has to pay $2700 as a deposit, and even if at the end of the contract the place is in perfect condition, all of that is guaranteed NOT to come back. Then comes the cost of furniture (fridge, washing machine (which can be gotten cheaply second hand), curtains, etc. (the place is unfurnished)). So, yes, it's a bit of an exercise, but overall I think it's pretty good. It certainly beats "guesthouse" living, not only in that one's own apartment is much larger, but also the feeling of it is a lot more permanent, unlike the notorious "temporary housing" feeling one gets from living in "temporary housing" such as a guesthouse. Furthermore, Jose (my now former housemate) moved into another guesthouse not far from here, is paying $50 a month more for ANOTHER basement room that STINKS, is DIRTY, and quite a bit smaller. I think a 60 sq. metre two-bedroom apartment near Shinjuku is way, way, way better.
Otherwise, things are going on as usual. Work is still the same except these days I have Thursdays completely off, due to the only students I have on Thursdays having gone back to Korea (they are Korean) for the duration of the Summer. Occasionally I might have some work to do (for instance, this week I had to make audio-books of a selection of children's picture books for the kids to use while they read so they can hear correct pronunciation), but at least I get to stay at home to do it. Certainly beats the fifty minute train ride (including two transfers) it takes to get to work. Not that I have to pay for it (Japanese companies most often pay for the transport of their employees), but the hassle of it is something that isn't missed on a day off.
Today I went to Harajuku, home of Yoyogi Park and the Meiji Shrine and met my friend Saori from Nagoya. Jose came as well and we wandered around, past all the transvestites, girls dressed up lolita style, goths, people holding "free hugs" signs (one was a cute girl, but she was dressed in some kind of bright green and hooded superhero tracksuit), headbangers, rockabillies, Jamaicans with drums, unicyclists, rockers... you name it, Harajuku has got them. Feel free to add to that list if you can think of any other genres commonly seen at that park.
Actually, I thought of a perfect way to meet girls in Yoyogi park. All you have to do is get a little and extremely cute dog. A poodle, a chihuahua, or (like we saw today), a litter of SEVEN baby Dachsunds, anything will do. And then walk them through the park. You will need some kind of hyperchronic counting mechanism to count the number of times girls will approach you and say how "kawaii!!!" (cute) your dog is, thus opening the door for whatever brand of "nanpa" (err.. 'pick up lines'?) you want to employ. Being foreign is usually a good nanpa in itself (although admittedly, it only attracts a certain type of girl), however, a foreigner who can speak Japanese well enough to at least SOUND fluent increases its potency tenfold.
Anyhow, that's about all for "happenings". The house is slowly becoming empty with more and more of us leaving, which is actually a bit sad. Oh well, better things await. However, I fear I will be a bit put out with all the moving business, and having to spend a fair bit of money on the move and acquisition of furniture. Happily, I remembered recently that it is tax time in Australia and so I must get on to my former employees and get them to forward my group certificates. Should get a fair bit out of that, which would help enormously.
Otherwise, life continues. The weather has become hot (20 degrees at night, over 26 during the day) and shorts are now my uniform. Lovin' it. Apparently tsuyu (rainy season) is about to start and so I'd better get ready for a month of constant, heatstroke-inducing humidity and twenty-four hour rain. Thank god for air conditioners.
With that, I sign out. Oh wait, actually, with THIS I sign out:
My housemate, Vince, has a giant haemorrhoid that he describes (among other things) as "an anal dumpling". Enjoy that image, the lot of you.
First and foremost, I am moving out! My contract at this guesthouse expires on the 30th of June, giving me 13 more days here. Yesterday was spent looking at apartments with my friend Takako, and after a lot of anxiety and decision-making inability on her part, she finally agreed that moving out with me would be a good idea. Yesterday we found a great 2DK in a place called Hounancho, only 5 stops from Shinjuku, for ¥135,000 (AU$1350) a month. Obviously divide that by two, and then add the cost of utilities (which, hopefully, won't be all THAT much) and I am paying only about $30 a week extra than I am here. The size of the place is amazing though - compare this: Current room in guesthouse = 9 sq. metres (plus shared kitchen, bathroom etc.). New place = 60 sq. metres! And only sharing with one other person. Suh-weet. The only unfortunate thing is the difficulty asosciated with renting an apartment in Japan. While we got one without the usual "key money" (literally a "gift" of 1 month's rent to the owner just for good faith), the fee for the real estate agency is also 1 month's rent. In other words, to move in we have to pay, in total, $1350 (fee), $1350 (first month's rent), plus compulsory insurance and lock-changing fee (about $300), plus Takako, having more savings than me, has to pay $2700 as a deposit, and even if at the end of the contract the place is in perfect condition, all of that is guaranteed NOT to come back. Then comes the cost of furniture (fridge, washing machine (which can be gotten cheaply second hand), curtains, etc. (the place is unfurnished)). So, yes, it's a bit of an exercise, but overall I think it's pretty good. It certainly beats "guesthouse" living, not only in that one's own apartment is much larger, but also the feeling of it is a lot more permanent, unlike the notorious "temporary housing" feeling one gets from living in "temporary housing" such as a guesthouse. Furthermore, Jose (my now former housemate) moved into another guesthouse not far from here, is paying $50 a month more for ANOTHER basement room that STINKS, is DIRTY, and quite a bit smaller. I think a 60 sq. metre two-bedroom apartment near Shinjuku is way, way, way better.
Otherwise, things are going on as usual. Work is still the same except these days I have Thursdays completely off, due to the only students I have on Thursdays having gone back to Korea (they are Korean) for the duration of the Summer. Occasionally I might have some work to do (for instance, this week I had to make audio-books of a selection of children's picture books for the kids to use while they read so they can hear correct pronunciation), but at least I get to stay at home to do it. Certainly beats the fifty minute train ride (including two transfers) it takes to get to work. Not that I have to pay for it (Japanese companies most often pay for the transport of their employees), but the hassle of it is something that isn't missed on a day off.
Today I went to Harajuku, home of Yoyogi Park and the Meiji Shrine and met my friend Saori from Nagoya. Jose came as well and we wandered around, past all the transvestites, girls dressed up lolita style, goths, people holding "free hugs" signs (one was a cute girl, but she was dressed in some kind of bright green and hooded superhero tracksuit), headbangers, rockabillies, Jamaicans with drums, unicyclists, rockers... you name it, Harajuku has got them. Feel free to add to that list if you can think of any other genres commonly seen at that park.
Actually, I thought of a perfect way to meet girls in Yoyogi park. All you have to do is get a little and extremely cute dog. A poodle, a chihuahua, or (like we saw today), a litter of SEVEN baby Dachsunds, anything will do. And then walk them through the park. You will need some kind of hyperchronic counting mechanism to count the number of times girls will approach you and say how "kawaii!!!" (cute) your dog is, thus opening the door for whatever brand of "nanpa" (err.. 'pick up lines'?) you want to employ. Being foreign is usually a good nanpa in itself (although admittedly, it only attracts a certain type of girl), however, a foreigner who can speak Japanese well enough to at least SOUND fluent increases its potency tenfold.
Anyhow, that's about all for "happenings". The house is slowly becoming empty with more and more of us leaving, which is actually a bit sad. Oh well, better things await. However, I fear I will be a bit put out with all the moving business, and having to spend a fair bit of money on the move and acquisition of furniture. Happily, I remembered recently that it is tax time in Australia and so I must get on to my former employees and get them to forward my group certificates. Should get a fair bit out of that, which would help enormously.
Otherwise, life continues. The weather has become hot (20 degrees at night, over 26 during the day) and shorts are now my uniform. Lovin' it. Apparently tsuyu (rainy season) is about to start and so I'd better get ready for a month of constant, heatstroke-inducing humidity and twenty-four hour rain. Thank god for air conditioners.
With that, I sign out. Oh wait, actually, with THIS I sign out:
My housemate, Vince, has a giant haemorrhoid that he describes (among other things) as "an anal dumpling". Enjoy that image, the lot of you.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
What home schooling does to you
Seems that homeschooling really does make kids into complete social retards, as perfectly demonstrated by the winner of the American National Spelling Bee in his interview on some American morning show...
Scombridae? I thought you said Scom-BU-dae...
Scombridae? I thought you said Scom-BU-dae...
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Fun with GarageBand
So, I spent the afternoon making a song with my new piece-o'-crap keyboard. It's not really polished or anything, but when I put in the lyrics (first time for me, since I never used a program that could record audio) I decided that it HAD to go up here.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
I'm back, baby!!
Went to Ochanomizu today and spent 9800 yens (AU$98) on a little 49-key midi controller today. Finally the drought is over and I can get back to making music! It is a happy day today :)
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Fun times in the shaky country...
Today, this happened while i was in bed :-
It's funny, earthquakes. I mean, I was just lying there (I know it was 2:43pm but come on! I didn't get home till 6am!) and all of a sudden it feels like the bed has just dropped about 5cm and then started shaking.
My housemates didn't even notice though... Weird.
June 2 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo at 2:43 p.m. local time today. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
It's funny, earthquakes. I mean, I was just lying there (I know it was 2:43pm but come on! I didn't get home till 6am!) and all of a sudden it feels like the bed has just dropped about 5cm and then started shaking.
My housemates didn't even notice though... Weird.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Vince's 19th Birthday
Hi everyone!
So, last Saturday was Vince's 19th Birthday. To celebrate, we all went out to 2 hours of all-you-can-drink karaoke and then spent the rest of the night in an 80's nightclub called Castillo's, in Roppongi. It was a great night - I was more drunk than ever! Unfortunately Vince's camera broke half way through the night so all we get to see are some pictures of karaoke. Nevertheless, here they are, commemorated on this blog forever. Enjoy!
Before karaoke. Takako, Me, Jose's friend Takashi and Jose.
The group at karaoke.
Me, Takako, Jose and Takashi again. I think I am singing Eternal Flame.
The group again. We had a huge karaoke room!
Takako, Me and Vince's Canadian friend Keith, getting a bit friendly!
After karaoke!
After karaoke, again! That's Vince with the big pink turd on his head.
So, last Saturday was Vince's 19th Birthday. To celebrate, we all went out to 2 hours of all-you-can-drink karaoke and then spent the rest of the night in an 80's nightclub called Castillo's, in Roppongi. It was a great night - I was more drunk than ever! Unfortunately Vince's camera broke half way through the night so all we get to see are some pictures of karaoke. Nevertheless, here they are, commemorated on this blog forever. Enjoy!
Before karaoke. Takako, Me, Jose's friend Takashi and Jose.
The group at karaoke.
Me, Takako, Jose and Takashi again. I think I am singing Eternal Flame.
The group again. We had a huge karaoke room!
Takako, Me and Vince's Canadian friend Keith, getting a bit friendly!
After karaoke!
After karaoke, again! That's Vince with the big pink turd on his head.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Vince's prank on Jose
1. Lay plastic door-frame pieces against Jose's door.
2. Open some umbrellas, place accordingly.
3. Move air filter, fire extinguisher and chair into somewhat annoying positions.
4. Wait until Jose wakes up.
5. Wet pants.
2. Open some umbrellas, place accordingly.
3. Move air filter, fire extinguisher and chair into somewhat annoying positions.
4. Wait until Jose wakes up.
5. Wet pants.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Eating the forbidden fish...
I managed to find an izakaya today that served whale sashimi! Honestly though, it didn't taste any different to other kinds of sashimi, except maybe it was a little oilier. And I guess it's a bit darker. What a rip off though - 5 slices for 900 yen! I mean come on whales are HUGE!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Word of the day
pimpnicity, as in:
The key to being a pimp, is knowing that you are a pimp. When you question your pimpnicity, others will too.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Some Purikura and stuff
Went out last night with Jose and two girls, Satomi and Kahori. We went bowling and Satomi DESTROYED us all with a score of 160. Christ!
Anyway we took Purikura and the machine had an option to send them to mobile phones. So, here they are!
Also we went to an Izakaya for a delicious dinner, and then to karaoke!
Also, Happy Mother's day, everyone.
Anyway we took Purikura and the machine had an option to send them to mobile phones. So, here they are!
Also we went to an Izakaya for a delicious dinner, and then to karaoke!
Also, Happy Mother's day, everyone.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Thoughts on women
In my job I encounter a lot of women: mothers, in particular. While their husbands are off slaving away (and yes, this is Japan so I literally mean slaving) at the office, these mothers have the arguably unenviable task of looking after their little sprogs. And it is through repeated meetings with these women that I come to this conclusion: Women (particularly Japanese women) over 30 quite literally turn into baby-making factories.
I know it sounds obvious but oh my god! It seems every week one of them has a new one. They come in carrying their expressionless offspring bundled up in some kind of baby-carrying sling around their shoulders, mopping up their dribble and telling them to stop screaming. It`s kind of funny I guess, maybe it`s from coming from Australia, but the penchant for literally giving up work for a good 6-8 years to raise children seems to be rife here. Women just turn into housewives and stay that way for what seems like bloody ages. Then they get a part time job, or something.
No wonder Japan`s population is so god damn large. It`s because seemingly every woman can just drop everything and queef out a couple of babies. Not only can they, but when they get to 30, they feel socially compelled to! Amazing.
Anyway I`ve ranted enough.. This wasn`t nearly as interesting as I thought it was going to be. Sorry, sports fans.
I know it sounds obvious but oh my god! It seems every week one of them has a new one. They come in carrying their expressionless offspring bundled up in some kind of baby-carrying sling around their shoulders, mopping up their dribble and telling them to stop screaming. It`s kind of funny I guess, maybe it`s from coming from Australia, but the penchant for literally giving up work for a good 6-8 years to raise children seems to be rife here. Women just turn into housewives and stay that way for what seems like bloody ages. Then they get a part time job, or something.
No wonder Japan`s population is so god damn large. It`s because seemingly every woman can just drop everything and queef out a couple of babies. Not only can they, but when they get to 30, they feel socially compelled to! Amazing.
Anyway I`ve ranted enough.. This wasn`t nearly as interesting as I thought it was going to be. Sorry, sports fans.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Atami!
It being Golden Week, today Jose, one of Jose's friends named Sebastian (half-swiss half-japanese) and I made a day-trip to Atami. Atami is a beautiful little seaside town on the Izu Peninsula, about 2 hours south of Tokyo. It is famous for its hot springs and its picturesque beach scenery.
So, we left at about 9am, caught the normal express train from Shinjuku to Odawara, which took about 100 minutes or so. Then, we caught the Shinkansen for just ONE stop from Odawara to Atami. You are probably thinking "Why would you take it for just one stop!??". Well, it is a 10 minute ride and costs 1240 yen one way, so it's not ludicrously expensive. A local train would take much longer and Jose and Sebastian had never had the Shinkansen experience...
So we got there and headed for the hot spring. It was great! It was on the roof of a hotel; it had an outdoor pool that was about 58 degrees C, a sauna, a spa, a cold pool, and it all overlooked the ocean, as you will see in the photos I will post below. Very nice atmos, and it was only 1000 yen for all the sauna and spa'ing you could handle.
After that we went into town and found ourselves something to eat. It was ramen, and I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to eat raw fish (Atami being a seaside town after all) but Jose and Sebastian were too concerned about spending heaps of money (admittedly, the restaurants were tourist traps and quite expensive).
Next we caught a bus down to the beach, where we went on the sand (it's really dark here in Japan) and found a beach volleyball court! Next to it, 4 random girls were just chilling out, sort of half-heartedly throwing a volleyball to each other. So I wandered over and asked them if they wanted to play with us on the court. They said yes, and we had a fun time!
After that, we heard some drums and wandered over to the source, only to find ourselves in the middle of some kind of festival, with people dressed up dancing and drumming and what not. Very Japanese!
Finally, we bought some beers, sat out on the sort of jetty-type thing and drank them, and caught the train back. It was such a long day but now my skin feels all nice from the sauna and hot spring, the volleyball was pretty strenous (and my pants are now full of sand), but all round it was a fun fun day. Enjoy the pics!
A statue in Odawara
The hot spring, on the roof of a building overlooking the sea!
The view in one direction...
And in another...
And in another!
The Atami Beach...
The Atami Beach again...
Some traditional Japanese dancers (what's this called, can anyone help me? awa odori or something?)
A big taiko drum
The scene of the festival
A dead shark doing it with a dead manta ray...
So, we left at about 9am, caught the normal express train from Shinjuku to Odawara, which took about 100 minutes or so. Then, we caught the Shinkansen for just ONE stop from Odawara to Atami. You are probably thinking "Why would you take it for just one stop!??". Well, it is a 10 minute ride and costs 1240 yen one way, so it's not ludicrously expensive. A local train would take much longer and Jose and Sebastian had never had the Shinkansen experience...
So we got there and headed for the hot spring. It was great! It was on the roof of a hotel; it had an outdoor pool that was about 58 degrees C, a sauna, a spa, a cold pool, and it all overlooked the ocean, as you will see in the photos I will post below. Very nice atmos, and it was only 1000 yen for all the sauna and spa'ing you could handle.
After that we went into town and found ourselves something to eat. It was ramen, and I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to eat raw fish (Atami being a seaside town after all) but Jose and Sebastian were too concerned about spending heaps of money (admittedly, the restaurants were tourist traps and quite expensive).
Next we caught a bus down to the beach, where we went on the sand (it's really dark here in Japan) and found a beach volleyball court! Next to it, 4 random girls were just chilling out, sort of half-heartedly throwing a volleyball to each other. So I wandered over and asked them if they wanted to play with us on the court. They said yes, and we had a fun time!
After that, we heard some drums and wandered over to the source, only to find ourselves in the middle of some kind of festival, with people dressed up dancing and drumming and what not. Very Japanese!
Finally, we bought some beers, sat out on the sort of jetty-type thing and drank them, and caught the train back. It was such a long day but now my skin feels all nice from the sauna and hot spring, the volleyball was pretty strenous (and my pants are now full of sand), but all round it was a fun fun day. Enjoy the pics!
A statue in Odawara
The hot spring, on the roof of a building overlooking the sea!
The view in one direction...
And in another...
And in another!
The Atami Beach...
The Atami Beach again...
Some traditional Japanese dancers (what's this called, can anyone help me? awa odori or something?)
A big taiko drum
The scene of the festival
A dead shark doing it with a dead manta ray...
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