sayonara japan! (backlog flush #77 and travelog)

When does you flight get in, dippy?

And once again, does Josh's rugrat look like my rugrat, or is it just that photo?

----EB Wed Mar 26 04:52:28 2008

sorry. coming in thursday afternoon, cmg meeting me there.

umm, a bit, for obvious reasons (including hair come to think of it) but I'd say both Josh and Erin are both a bit scaled down relative to EB and EBB...

--Kirk Wed Mar 26 05:11:09 2008

That Sunkus store much better resembles the 7-Elevens I'm familiar with, the ones that're their own building, but we don't have any 7-Elevens in downtown anymore, and the hole-in-the-wall stores we did have do look like the one you posted the other day.

Kinda cool, though in America, Sunkus wouldn't survive a trademark infringement lawsuit with that color scheme.

As for the ice-cream, people forget that vanilla is a flavor, and one of the best there is, even though it looks plain and is often added-to. There's really no such end-product as plain ice-cream-- it would taste like... cream, probably.

Congrats on a great trip-- it's been enjoyable to experience vicariously through Kisrael!

--LAN3 Wed Mar 26 06:51:20 2008

Two weeks just flew right by. I truly enjoyed your visit. I got the chance to see some of my favorite places again. I especially enjoy Kamakura because we can see traditional Japan without too much commercialism. It is refreshing not to see the Western fast-food chains and clothing stores that have spread throughout the Tokyo area in the past 10 years.

I also enjoyed getting back to Akihabara and Harajuku. Although I live a mere hour away, I have not been there on a Sunday in about 4 years (being a Dad and all does not leave much time for pop-culture). I was amused and surprised by the way  Japanese people have changed. 12 years ago, the radical thing was to dance in the streets at Yoyogi Park to rock bands. Now that has morphed into cross-dressing and mimicking manga and anime characters as well as TV idols. For more on this do a Google search for Ikko.

Hakone was pretty much as I remembered it. The lake and view of Mt. Fuji are pretty spectacular. I think this is one of the best places close to Tokyo for visitors to get a taste of nature. We did not have time to do all the sites nor to hike nor do to the many hotspring baths, but if you set aside two days, Hakone is a treat.

Kirk, you are a great guest and I enjoyed traveling, discussing literature, politics, and culture with you. I hope that we can do it all again.---Ja mata ne--Josh

--Joshua Wed Mar 26 22:48:24 2008

Awww, Mr. Donut! I remember Mr. Donut very fondly, thanks for bringing back the memories!

--Erin Maru Thu Mar 27 01:09:32 2008

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