Well, Mom and Dad made the big trip out to Japan. We started our trip by getting on a bullet train and heading to Kyoto. Kyoto is know for its temples, having somewhere around 1800 in total. We decided to just see the best 6 or 7.

After spending a few days in Kyoto, we headed to a town called Takayama. It is a nice little mountain town with some historic sights. Here we stayed at a traditional Japanese inn. The whole room was Tatami mats, so you have to sleep on Japanese futons and the dinning chairs are just flat on the ground with no legs.

Our next stop was Hakone. Its in the mountains and is famous for its hot springs. It was a beautiful place. Usually you can get a nice view of Mt. Fuji from here but it was pretty cloudy while we were there. Our hotel was very nice. A mix of tatami mat and regular floor and of course a big flat screen t.v. Our stay here was short but nice. My only complaint was that I couldn't go into the hot springs because I have tattoos!

After about a week of traveling we came back to Tokyo. We had a few days left so I tried to show them my favorites spots in Tokyo. We took a half day bus tour one day. On the tour we visited Asakasa, an older part of Tokyo with lots of shops and some temples. We also saw the Imperial Palace and got to take a short boat ride up the river. We did some shopping and a lot of eating. I took them to some of my favorite restaurants as well as some new ones. I also gave them a brief tour of where I work and my apartment.

All in all, it was a great trip and it was really good to see them. Japan is a really beautiful country to see and I hope more of you will get the chance to see it.

Shark Attack!

Went to an Aquarium on Sunday. It was rather small but it was nice. They had cool walk through tank as well as a dolphin, penguin and sea lion show. It was pretty cool.

Ueno Park

Spent some time at Ueno Park over the weekend. Its a nice little area. There are some museums, temples, and even a zoo there. They don't however have any grass. I was hoping to lay down and fall asleep reading a book but its all pretty much cement. A recurring theme in Tokyo. The scenery was nice though. There is a pond where you can rent paddle boats.

I ended up going to the zoo. However I couldn't help but feel saddened by seeing these unhappy animals in there cages. I used to enjoy going to the zoo, but now I just feel that what we are doing to these animals is wrong. Anyone else feel this way? I couldn't bring myself to take pictures of the pacing tiger, or the depressed looking Silverback Gorilla, but I snapped a few photos at the end. Including some shots of my favorite animal, the Llama!

Tokyo Disney Land

"Earl, you just finished animating on your first 3D job ever, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to Disneyland!"

Tokyo Disneyland that is. What better way to relax after wrapping up on a project than a day at the greatest place on earth. I went on Wednesday with about 15 other co-workers. We spent the whole day there and went on almost every ride. Even went on Thunder mountain twice. As much as I can remember, Tokyo Disneyland looks pretty much just the same as its U.S. counterpart. Even the signs are all in English. I've been told its a bit smaller though. And it hasn't changed much over the years. They've added a few new attractions but have kept everyones favorites. Mine is the tea-cups. We ended up with four people in our cup. I couldn't believe how fast we were going.

They also have Disney Sea here. I guess its geared more towards adults. They serve alcohol and the rides are a bit more intense. I'll have to check that one out next.

Cooking!

Well, I've been trying to cook a lot more these days. Here are a few of my creations. Mostly just experimenting with different ingredients in stir-fries. Bon apitete!

Harajuku Greasers

In Harajuku you will find all kinds of crazy and trendy things from fashion to music. Zan and I stopped to watch these greasers dance it up. We came back a few hours later and they were still at it!

Izakaiya Fever

Here in Japan they have these places called Izakaiya's. They are basically these restaurants that offer an hourly service. You can order the course meal when you make the reservation or just order something when you get there, but it is usually just one price depending on the size of your group. Then they just keep bringing food out to you and you can order as many drinks as you want. Its ideal for large groups of people. They often have large long tables. The food is usually not too bad and the atmosphere can range from fancy to hole-in-the-wall depending on which one you go to.

So, whenever my work wants to have a get-together or a going away party, we always end up at an Izakaiya. Sometimes two, if our time runs out and we still want to party more. ha ha. And there seems to be this kind of unspoken rule at work. Whatever happens at the Izakaiya, stays at the Izakaiya. Its the kind of place where the over-worked can let loose and forget about deadlines. Here is a few random pictures from those wild Izakaiya nights.

Tokyo Dining

Since coming to Tokyo, I've had the chance to go to some really cool restaurants.

The first one is Gompachi. This restaurant was the inspiration for the setting of the major fight scene in the movie "Kill Bill." Its a huge place and the atmosphere so neat. The food was great. They are known for their Soba noodles, which are hand made there in the restaurant. I guess there are several locations but I've only been to the one. Its a must go if you come to Tokyo. I even heard George Bush went there and threw up. Not because of the food I hope.

While my friend Zan was in town we went with some friends of mine to this place called "Ninja." I think it is mostly geared towards tourists and people on buisness trips. The whole place is decked out like a ninja layer. At the entrance you are greeted by a ninja and taken through a series of caves and corridors to your table. All the staff are dressed and act like ninja. The dishes are japanese but they add a bit of flare to them. After your done eating, a ninja comes to your table and does some magic for you. Its really a cool place and the atmosphere is totally unique. I tried to take some photo with my phone but it was just too dark. You'll have to see if for yourself.


Close to my apartment there is a great little Jamaican Curry place (pictured on the right). Its called Rude Boy. You walk in and you feel like your in Jamaica, except everyone is Asian. The food is really good and they were more than willing to change some dishes to meet my vegan needs. Its a nice cozy place to enjoy some curry, some Reggae music and a few Red Stripe beers.

B-Day

My birthday this year was pretty low key. I went to one of my favorite vegan restaurants with my good friend Etsuko. I think we ate everything on the menu. We had mentioned something about my birthday while we were ordering, so later on the two women who were working there surprised me with this vegan dessert. It had candles and everything. They were so sweet to do that. It was delicious!

Mr. Jones

Mid-April I was lucky enough to have the chance to reunite with another VFS classmate. Zandyric said he always wanted to come to Japan. Since I live here now, it made his trip a whole lot easier. It was great to have him here. If you can believe it, he stayed with me in my little apartment. One of my friends lent me a futon for him. Unfortunately I couldn't take much time off of work. So we spent the weekends and evenings exploring Tokyo and he ventured off on his own while I was at work.

I tried to show him everything that I thought was cool in Tokyo and even found some places that I hadn't been yet. The pictures below show some of the things we saw.He got here right at the end of the Sakura blossoming, so he was lucky enough to see that. We also went to some cool restaurants. Although I often can't enjoy the various foods of Japan, because there not vegan, Zandryic made sure to try everything. I think he had a good time and I can't wait to visit him in the Bahama's, where he is from.

Beautiful Silhouette

In April I had the chance to see a solo exhibition by an artist called SYMBOLON. He is a Japanese artist who does some really cool stuff. Here is his website: http://www.symbolon.jp/

My friend Robin invited me to come. It was the last day of the exhibition and they were having a workshop on silk screening. So not only did I get to enjoy his artwork but I got to create some of my own. We each did our own postcard. It was a lot of fun. The monkey is his design, I just did the rest.

The Apartment

So, at the end of March, I moved into my new apartment. Its the smallest place I've ever had but its really not that bad. And it seems to suit my lifestyle here very well. It took me a little while to get settled in but I now have almost everything I need.(still need to get internet connection). Apartments here don't come with anything. So I tracked down what they call "Sayonara Sales" and got myself a bed, fridge, washer and other various things. Basically when a foreigner is leaving the country they sell all their stuff for cheap, otherwise they have to pay to have it removed.

My area is called Okusawa which isn't anything special, mostly just residences and some restaurants. However I live about 5 minutes walk from a place called Jiyugaoka. Its a cute little area with tons of shops and restaurants and bars. I often hang out there with my friends. Also I just joined a gym in that area. I don't have any pictures of my place furnished as it has been to messy to take pictures of it. ha ha. But here are some taken right before I moved in. Also some pictures of the area around my place. Enjoy!

Sakura

As you probably know, Japan is famous for the Cherry Blossoms or Sakura as they are called here. Beautiful pink flowers that apparently have no smell. They usually bloom around the end of March but I guess they started a bit earlier this year. They only stick around for a few weeks so you have to get out and see them. After the flowers fall off the tree fills with green leafs. The Sakura can be found all over Japan. The Meguro river, pictured on the right, is particularly famous for them. Its banks are lined with many Sakura trees and makes for a nice stroll on a lazy Sunday.

They have a tradition here called "Hanami." Basically you get a bunch of people together, lay down a big blue tarp under a Sakura tree, eat lots of food and get drunk. I was fortunate to be invited to two Hanmi parties. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet lots of interesting people. The blue tarps however are a bit of an eyesore for me. As you can see from the picture it creates quit a contrast from the beautiful pink flowers. I made that hummus by the way. Nobody there had ever seen anything like it. ha ha

So if you ever make it out to Japan, the end of March is a great time to be here. Its not too hot and its not too cold. And you'll get to watch pink flowers fall from the trees like heavenly snow while getting drunk with new friends and old. Whats better than that right?

Konpai!

Orange Ball

Gaijin Humor

All right, so I just started this thing and I'm already slow on the posting. I try to work on that. Last Sunday, I went to a comedy show in Shibuya. This was the second time I've gone, they have it on the last Sunday of every month at a Canadian bar. These guys are really funny. They have a few open mic comedians and then a few regulars. Really funny stuff. Most of the material is related to life as a foreigner in Japan, so you would have to live here to get the some of the jokes. There's also a Japanese guy who is hilarious. Best of all, its free!

Going to the movies

I've had the chance now to go to the movies a few times now. Although its basically the same as in the U.S. , there are a few differences. Aside from the Japanese subtitles, the major one is assigned seating. When you buy your tickets, they show you a seating chart of what seats are available. It actually seems to work pretty good, you just have to buy your tickets in advanced. Another difference is the pricing. The price of admission runs a bit higher here. At first this was a little displeasing, but then I found out that the price for snacks and drinks is much lower. So it pretty much evens out. You don't have to pay 4 dollars for a bottle of water. One other difference, which I admire and try to always do myself, is that at the end of the movie nobody leaves until the credits are finished rolling. Even the lights stay off until then. A lot of work went into that film dam it! So watch those credits!

You don't know what your missing.

If your not eating vegan food, you don't know what your missing. Before coming to Tokyo, I found out that there are lots of vegan friendly restaurants scattered around the city. I am a frequent customer of one near my work, but just recently I've started to venture out to patronize the others on the list. I have to say, its been some of the best meals I've ever had. Many of the restaurants are macrobiotic. The food is so natural and so perfectly prepared. I've decided that I am going try every vegan restaurant in Tokyo while I'm here. Once I figure out this blog thing a little better, I will try to write some reviews of the places I go, for those of you fortunate enough to visit Tokyo. Happy eating.

Now Blogging...

So after living in Tokyo for 4 months now, I've decided to start a blog. I hope to keep track of my journey here and to keep all my friends and family up to date on whats new with me. Although I have a very busy work schedule, I will try to make new posts a few times a week. So keep coming back and see what I'm up to. Take care,

Earl