nippon roundup

Since I am just too tired to write at length about the past 10 days I will try and summarize it best I can in bullet form.

EXPO Japan 2005

- If you are headed there be wary that it can be frustrating for the non-Japanese visitor. Its tailored for the Japanese and therefore most things are in that language.

- Be prepared for some long queues.

- Curry seems to be the international food of choice as it was everywhere. African, Sri Lankan, Indian, South American, and everywhere in between.

- You'd expect higher than normal food prices but $4 dollar cups of tea and $10 bowls of ramen?

- While there are a lot of things to see and learn, a good bunch of the countries just tried to show you their culture by trying to sell you something.

- There was a noticeable lack of native citizens running the pavilions. I know Japan is expensive and far away but its just not the same when there is not a single Saudi working the pavilion, just a bunch of Japanese dressed like them.

- To Robert Wilson: I know you're some hot shot theatre director but your giant snow monkey show sucked...haha.

- You know people don't like you when the only pavilion with metal detectors and x-ray machines is the American one.

- You'd think Che Guevara was the president of Cuba as they had his picture up everywhere in the Cuban pavilion and not a single one of Castro.

- Only go to the Japan Railway pavilion if you are a trainspotter and want to see train porn or need a nap. Fifteen minutes of watching a train whiz by in 3-d set to music is not my idea of fun.

- To the Japanese Expo committee: No offense but, I realize this you tried your best to follow the ecological theme but I have to tell you it felt fake. I don't think your citizen's cared as much as you hoped for and the 12 different trash bins at each station took eons to figure out. It really did feel like you guys were pretending to be eco-conscious with all your doomsday music and anime storylines telling of a bleak future if we don't change our ways.

I know it sounds like I hated the expo but I didn't. I actually had a great time there. Even if I didn't get to see the robots due to the enormous queues.

*****

GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS

- Chasing geishas down in Kyoto like little white rabbits. You'd see them out the corner of your eye then try to follow them down some dark tiny alley only for them to disappear into an unmarked door.

- Checking out the I.M. Pei designed Miho Museum which is beautiful despite the fact that the museum is owned by what may or may not be a cult.

- Seeing mum's delight in spending a night of luxury high above Osaka with a corner view of the city.

- Mobile phone etiquette is tops here. Nearly everyone has a phone but I swear I only heard maybe 3 phones ring and only a couple people talking on them in all the time I was there.

- J-girls are like cute little animals. They can be attractive without being naturally so to begin with just by the hair, make-up, and dress.

- I am already missing the service oriented society that Japan is.

- Seeing old friends I haven't seen in a while. They are all asking when I am moving to Japan.

- Having everything you want and need available at a convienient distance.

- Checking out the micro bar district in Shinjuku. There were little alleyways packed with bars the size of closets; most of them only big enough for six people.

- Taking Mum to a costumed fantasy cafe where the waitresses dress up like comic book French maid characters. She didn't know what the hell to make of the whole scene but tried her best to try to understand it.

- Sitting in an outdoor hot spring looking up at Mt. Fuji.

- The Japanese have an uncanny knack for predicting the weather. When it rains, everyone has an umbrella but when it doesn't you don't see anyone carrying one even if it looks cloudy or has been forecasted to rain. I learned the hard way to just follow the people and not the forecasts.

See the photo gallery