Wow, where has the time gone? My last post was April 8th, now it's April 25th. I guess I have a lot to write about. 


In the last 3 weeks I have been to Japan, come back to Korea and had a very busy week of teaching English, and then mid-terms exams this week.

First, my trip to Japan; (click here to see my photo album, updated with Japan pictures) 
Keith and I left on the morning of Wednesday, April 11th. Getting to Japan was half of the "fun". Actually it was the worst flight I have ever been on, thanks to weather-related issues. We went down to land twice but due to massive turbulence, cross-winds, and extremely low visibility due to fog over Osaka Bay it took 3 tries. Some fellow passengers vomited, and at one point we dropped so quickly I needed my seat belt to hold me down only to look out the window and see the ocean fast approaching us, before the pilot roared us into the sky again. Eventually we touched down to a rainy Osaka. At the airport it took a while to get through customs with all the Chinese tourists looking pretty confused and acting dumbfounded (like normal) on what to do with paperwork and at customs. Before we left the airport, Keith bought some money for his Japanese mobile phone and we both bought 5-day rail passes for the Kansai region. After that we hopped on the train from Kansai International to Namba Station in Osaka, near our hostel.

Our hostel was a true Japanese capsule hotel. For 4 nights there we payed only $50 each, which, in expensive Japan, is nothing. We were on the 5th floor of the hostel and you leave your shoes and clothes in these lockers on the first floor and they give you a robe and towels for while you are in the capsules. The one bath for the entire place was on the 7th floor and it was a typical Japanese Onsen (public bath). Also, the hostel provided all toiletries. The capsule was surprisingly very cozy and comfortable and there was wifi and a TV inside each capsule. The only downside is you couldn't be there from 10am-5pm each day. They are really designed for businessmen just staying the night, or drunk people. But staying there was a great experience. (Here's a link to the website)

Our first night out in the town in Osaka was an eye-opening experience, I didn't know what to expect and I was blown-away by Japan. The area of Osaka we were in was called Minami (click here to see some info) Basically, Japan is a completely different world from Korea, and a very liberal country in regards to certain things. During our walk around Dotonbori, we passed endless Host and Hostess Bars and Clubs...if you don't know what they are, look 'em up. We saw young people with really freakish fashion styles and hair and it seemed like the crazier the better. We saw Yakuza members and Yakuza clubs, seeming to watch us as we walked by...which is not something I was expecting or wanting to see. We passed endless Pachinko parlors, and just took in the rainy, cold atmosphere of Osaka nightlife. Before too long, Keith got some fried octopus and we met a girl from Taiwan who told us some things to do in Osaka.


The next day was nice and sunny, perfect weather like 70 degrees. We used this entire day to do sightseeing in Osaka. If you look at my pictures you'll see Osaka Castle, some temples, many cherry blossoms, and other views from around Osaka. Overall, it was a very cool, big city. One downside of Osaka (and all of Japan) is it is difficult to get around via public transit because in one city, many different lines and means of transportation can be owned by many different private companies all requiring different tickets.

The next day, Friday, we used our Kansai region rail pass and went to Nara. (Click here to learn about Nara). Look at my pictures, also. We went to Todai-ji temple, the largest wooden structure in the world, with a giant Buddha inside. And there really were deer just roaming around everywhere. Here the cherry blossoms were nice, too. In Nara I ate some good Tonkatsu which I was waiting my entire trip to Japan for (Click here if you don't know what Tonkatsu is). That evening we took the train to Kyoto and met with Keith's cousin, Shiori. She is Japanese, and she is 22 and works at a bakery in Kyoto. We met her after work and we all went out to dinner at a good Japanese restaurant. She offered us to stay in Kyoto that evening, but we hadn't planned for that so all of our clothes and stuff was still in Osaka so we went back to Osaka at night.

On Saturday we went straight from Osaka to Kyoto and milled around some famous places there. We went to the golden temple, the imperial palace, other fun places too, like Moss Burger (Japanese fast food). For those of you who don't know, Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan for a really long time, it has the most historical and cultural places in Japan. Also, in my opinion, Kyoto is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I really want to go back someday and stay longer. In the evening we met Shiori at her work and got some bakery treats. Once she finished work we went with her to the store where we bough supplies to make sushi as well as beer, and then headed to Shiori's apartment. As Shiori started cooking, Keith and I visited a local Onsen (Japanese public bath) before going back to help her. The sushi was good and you can see all of the food in my pictures. After we all went out for even more drinks. 


Our last full day in Japan, Sunday, the 3 of us went to breakfast together and then Shiori had to go to work. Keith and I made our way to the Silver temple, which despite the name, was actually white. Even though, Kyoto was still a beautiful city. That night we went back to Osaka to stay in our capsules one last time before leaving, and we ate a celebratory meal of Japanese ramen (so incredibly good tasting, see pictures) and then proceeded to go to an all-you-can-drink-for-2-hours bar afterwards (bad idea considering our flight left at 11:00am the next morning).

If you could guess from the last line of that last paragraph, basically we both arrived to the gate and on the plane, hungover and exhausted, only 3 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave...lucky men we were. The flight back to Korea was good though and we were back at Ajou by 3pm. Overall, it was very nice to get away for a while and explore a new place.
Here are my impressions of Japan, in comparison with Korea:
- Japan is very expensive (average normal meal between $10-$12, one ride on a bus was $3, subway $2.50 or more)
- Japan is extremely clean, I honestly felt that I could eat off of the streets. One time I saw a little kid spill some juice in a shopping area and a Japanese police officer came over and mopped it up with soap and water, in the middle of the road. 
- Japanese people are just as friendly, if not a little more, than Koreans. Whenever we were even just looking at a map, Japanese people were very anxious to come up to us and ask if we needed help, that would never happen in Korea. 
- Japan is much more liberal, from fashion to strip clubs to driving on the left side of the road.
- Japanese beer is much better than Korean beer, especially Kirin, Kirin is very good. 
- Japanese people don't react to foreigners like Koreans do. In Korea I feel like I'm constantly being looked at whereas in Japan there are more foreigners living and working so walking around is no big deal. 
- Japanese food is very healthy, and fish heavy (of course) 
- Japanese people love baseball. 


I'm tired of writing now! I'll update more next time I feel like it :)