世界末日？

签证之剩~50天。到现在还没收到更新消息。

或许真的没更新的话，生活计划可要大型改变。。。真烦。希望船到桥头自然直。否则就回家吧

Best Damn Dog Show Ever...

I wish we all had a dog like Francis.

And on a more somber note, I am still oscillating between 206-210 lbs nowadays. I think that means I have to re-think my diet. Have to be more conscious of what I eat and more conscientious on how much I eat...

May Jap Trip Part 2 - Daytrip to Kyoto

We did a day trip to Kyoto. It was an interesting way to travel. We went there via midnight (1130pm) bus (kinda like a greyhound) to save some cash. It was about 90 USD to go by bus and 145 USD to go by Shinkanse. It was interesting as it was a 6+ hour bus ride and I got to see the highway oases of Japan.

It looks like they have a supermart inside this particular one. We stopped twice. Once at around midnight and then again at 5+ am. This was the stop close to Kyoto.

Our ticket home. Cos I wasn't going to take TWO 6+ hour bus rides in the same day...

The first order of business was to find something to eat. Luckily there was this 24/7 store opposite the station. Gyudon, somen and tonjiru. Breakfast of champions.

Our first stop was Kiyomizudera (清水寺). It's a long hike up the hill from the bus stop. The temple is up in the hills.

It's in the middle of the forest. Very scenic.

That's the main 'wishing stream' of the temple. Allegedly (I say allegedly because we got this info from grade school kids), the streams are (from left to right) - health, romance and smarts. The metal cups used to get the water are sterilized with a UV machine. Modern technology in a temple, who woulda thunk.

えんむすぶ means to connect a relationship. It's for match making. It was interesting to read all the wishes that people left at the shrine. Some were even in English.

This is from a shrine in the central part of town. I can't remember the name but It's called Yasaka Jinja (八坂神社) and was within walking distance of Kiyomizudera. Which was why we stopped by as it wasn't really on a list of 'to-see' places.

We then went to Nijo Jo (二条城). This is probably the most famous tourist spot in Kyoto. It used to be the Shogun's （将軍) castle. There used to be an outer building and an inner building but through the years, only the actual Shogun's residence has remained. They said that the floors created to prevent ninja assassinations and that the Shogun would have his guards hide in hidden wall panels during meetings with his subordinates. Very cloak and dagger stuff.

The garden was very pretty. And it had a moat. 2 moats actually. One for the outer walls and another one for the inner walls.

This is Shijo Dori (四条通). It's the 'downtown' of Kyoto. It's not too big. But they had a Takashimaya.

I had mini kaiseki (会席/懐石) meal. It was pretty reasonable. Like 30 USD for lunch. I liked the dessert.

After lunch, we went to the World Heritage Site of Kinkaku Ji (金閣寺). The temple has a gold exterior. Whether it's gold foil or something else, I couldn't tell and my japanese isn't good enough to ask.

I found it interesting that the entrance ticket was kinda like a seal. Like those old qiang shi movies. Haha.

For dinner, we went back to the river and Shijo Dori. Apparently, this is the 'Lover's Lane' of Kyoto. And if you see single ladies, you can try your luck. Too bad I didn't get that info till I got back to Tokyo.

Ducks in the canal(?)/drain.

We walked along this street to find a place to eat. It's just by the river (to the right) and quite 'old town' style. The ambiance was nice but the food was expensive. We were considering eating ramen after dinner but had to rush for the train.

Kyoto Tower (Tokyo Tower's lesser known cousin) at night.

Shinkansen! I really can't tell you much more than that other than the leg space was not designed for sleeping. I slept most of the 2+ hour return trip.

Next part will be the Return to Tokyo!

May Jap Trip Part 1 - Adventures in Toyko

So finally, I have had some time to clean up and organize my photos. So here we go. Photo trip recollections starto!

My gracious host, my cuz Shaun, came to pick me up from the airport. He's gonna be rich and famous cos he's a lawyer in training.

My room. An actual tatami room. Woah. Note the lack of pillows. :(

A funky washer/dryer setup. The dryer wasn't very powerful nor efficient, but when it's squeezed above the kitchen sink, what can you expect.

How the rich-to-be roll and eat. Fine dining = fries in Tokyo.

I prefer the takoyakis. Takoyakis, how can you not like them?!

This is the before Takoyaki shot.

So this was the first time I've spent some time in Toyko and I was introduced to the nighttime food of champions, the Izakaya (居酒屋). It's kinda like a bar, but with better food. I find japanese draft beer (生ビール) to be weaker than bottled/can beer and weaker than american draft beers. You have a huge selection of stuff to eat but we mostly concentrated on yakitori, kawa and some softbone meatball whose name I forgot. Good eats.

Next part will be my 1 day trip to Kyoto!