I'm Feeling Japanese

I've arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun... to find rain clouds. Oh well. My trip through China was terrific and even though I was rarely ever restricted in my freedoms, I still just feel a little freer now that I'm gone. For instance, I can say whatever I want now: "Free Tibet!" "Taiwan's sovereign!" "Tian'an Men Square, 1989!" Phew, that feels better...

But now it's time to focus my attention on the country at hand. And let me tell you, Japan has some very cool things going on. For instance, the toilet in my hotel, yeah, it's heated. You know, in case my bum gets cold during the summer. I haven't tried the bidet feature yet but it's only a matter of time and the fake flushing noise to mask any... ahem... other noises, is pure genius.

One thing I've discovered that the Japanese have not perfected yet is mass transit. I consider myself pretty well-versed in the ways of... well... subways. I've been underground all over the world and I'd say I mastered the Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing tubes just on this trip alone. But this... this is ridiculous:



"At least it's in English," was my first thought. What makes things the most confusing about this Spaghetti Diagram is that when you look at that map, you're actually looking at more than three company's mass transit lines (there are only three major company's I've used thus far though). So to get from point A to point B, it's not only likely you'll have to transfer from one company's subway line to another's, it's even possible you'll have to use Company 1, Company 2, AND Company 3 just to make the trip. And each time you transfer companies, you have to find your way out of the subway station, find the nearby station you're transferring to, buy another subway ticket, and find the next train you need to catch. Needless to say, of the 10 hours I was out and about today, I spent 15 trying to figure out how to get around...

But get around I did. I went to the fish market and had fresh sushi for lunch. Got a real good look at those rain clouds from the observation deck at Tokyo Tower. Caught a Japanese baseball game tonight (Yomiuri beat Hanshin for those of you following the Central League standings back at home). Tomorrow I'm gonna hit up the video arcades (and maybe a museum or temple or something cultural). Sunday... you better sit down for this... are you ready? I'm not sure you're ready for this... well, here it is anyway... I'm drinking sake and watching real live Sumo. It's. gonna. be. AWESOME!