For Steph

Steph,

Ian and I were walking around in the Cow Hollow district (on Chestnut St) and I saw this in the window and couldn't resist reminding you of the dog named Oscar that you snatched away from your innocent child.  May all these sheepdogs haunt your dreams.  hahahaha.

If I were a sheepdog, in fact my name WOULD be Oscar.

Delayed Post---with Jeff

Admittedly, we're starting to get crazy with our posts.  Not so much that we're both contributing like crazy,  but more that so much has been going on these past few weeks, the posts will be a bit on the random side.  Just getting them in when we can.

So, here's to the week post-Philippines, but pre-Seattle.  The little nugget of time my brother Jeff came for a visit.  Because it was our return from the Philippines (and I was simultaneously transitioning into my new role), I wasn't able to spend tons of time with him.  But, he did get some good time in with the city.

Here are a few classic pictures anyway:

If I were a tomato, I'd be an heirloom tomato, and my name would be Clarisse Anna.

Japan -- the last day & Gorillas in the Mist

The Remainder of Friday

It was hard to sleep after the excitement of the fish market. I was back out on the streets at 9:30 armed with a plan and some true excitement to explore the city on my own.

I headed to Ueno, where I walked and walked and walked.I did a little shopping, and then headed into Ueno Park (someone compared it to Central Park, and I supposed they're right in a way). There were paddle boats, shrines, gardens, an amusement park, a zoo, and a wing of the park filled with museums. My goal was to hit a lot of those attractions.

Of course the zoo--ah! The zoo. The animals are VERY close up there, and they had some good ones (even a panda). Many of them were interactive. As I ate my ice cream cone and watched the gorillas, one of them who was chewing on a bamboo stick noticed me, threw down the stick, and marched right over to the glass and sat down.

Other little monkeys played hide and go seek with me behind branches. A lioness paced back and forth right behind the glass (this was a little scary, and I couldn't help but think of the SF Zoo incident from Christmas with the tiger). But it was really fun. I had a ride on the monorail, and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful day.

I also went to the Toyko National Museum, which houses the largest collection of Japanese art in the world. The most interesting artifacts being the scrolls, the weapons, and the armor.

I then headed over to Ginza, the upscale shopping district. I headed into two different malls (which is an experience in itself, as the service model there is VERY different), but was stunned at the high prices. Just as well--I was running a bit late.

Made it back to the hotel with 10 minutes to change and meet everyone in the lobby for dinner at the famous New York Grill at the top of the Park Hyatt (made famous by Lost in Translation). Dinner was good.

Afterwards, Patrick insisted we go "party." The concierge recommended a place, and we were whizzing off in a couple of cabs.

We had to laugh when we arrived at Grace when we realized it was a caucasian bar--they must have looked at us and determined it would be best. haha. We also had to laugh at the girl next to us drinking a Zima. It inspired us to all drink them the next round to relive the early 90's.

Gorillas in the Mist

Oh, I won't do this section justice. Saturday morning, Patrick, Todd, Carrie and I took the train to Hokone, near the base of Mt. Fuji. Here we checked into a Japanese Hot Springs Inn.

The Inn was amazing. Our suite looked a bit like something Mr. Migayi would live in, with hallways and rooms on rooms, sliding paper and wood doors, and soft matted flooring. We had a private garden that was simply lovely and serene. We left our shoes at the front door, and changed into our Japanese robes and "camel toe socks" for the rest of the weekend.

After we were served tea in our room by a kimono-clad, extremely friendly woman, Carrie and I got over our shyness and went to the ladies' hot springs. It was gorgeous. One of the best things about the weekend was that it rained or drizzled the whole time. This made everything really beautiful. The view of the mountains, the gardens, the mist rising off the water. That's the first bit to the name Gorillas in the Mist--it looked right out of a movie.

After the baths, Patrick was quick to start with the sake and beer. It kept coming and coming and coming. Todd and Patrick were the first to slip into one of the rooms and receive massages. After they were finished, Carrie and I went in. I had the man, who we dubbed "hardo" (as did Todd). Mainly stemming from his question at the beginning: "Hardo or Softo?" We both choose hardo, and he wasn't messing around.

Dinner was served in the room. It ended up being one of those marathons again--12 or so courses that made us feel sick by the 8th. Mr. Party Guy Patrick was still egging on a night of craziness ordering and reordering the sake and beer. But before the last course, he decided to go into the other room and lay down for a minute to rest. Within 5 minutes, he was snoring. We named him "FIFO," for First In First Out. It was only 8:00.

Carrie, Todd, and I went to the hot springs again after dinner. It really is so relaxing, and such a nice way to have a good conversation (you have to forget the fact you're naked, which I think we did).

Afterwards, the three of us returned to the room. Patrick made an appearance again for about 5 minutes before crashing again. Carrie also laid down, and Todd and I chatted for a couple of hours before turning in.

I had a pretty restless sleep, and it seemed like Carrie did, too. We were on our way to the Springs again at 7 am. There, we witnessed Gorilla in the Mist 2 (it was actually a woman au natural).

Breakfast was served again in our room--also big. By this time, I'm feeling a little tired of raw fish and strange squid, and unidentifable jiggly things. So, I eat what I can of it. Todd is the only one to see Gorilla in the Mist 3--a monkey run across our garden and leap over the wall to the other side.

The hot springs / Japanese Inn experience was SO pleasurable. It was good company, we had a lot of laughs, and a great time to get to know people. I think we all loved it.

It was finally time to head back, and we took a few trains to the airport. We all sat in the lounge until our flights were called. My flight was much shorter on the return. I watched a movie and slept for a bit.

For another take on the experience and more pictures (and for his continuing adventures), check out Todd's blog...

I'm now waiting for Ian to come home. He'll be here very soon! Hooray for that.

If I were an otter, my name would be Sal.

Japan -- Part 4 Early Morning Fish Market

This morning (Friday) I was up at 4, and to Tsukiji market (the fish market) by 5 am.

It's pretty insane. Fresh fish (still alive) by the miles--you need to keep watch that you aren't run over by any of the hundreds of little vehicles, fish carts, etc. as the workers are busily gearing up for the auction and sales. In fact, check out the pictures of the bloody eels below--I was taking this picture, and someone pushed me from behind (which further gave me the heebie jeebies after being so close to them). I thought at first it was someone in our group thinking they were funny, but a man with a cart was trying to get by. I was more careful after that. The idea of face planting in that container was a little scary, to say the least. Warning--pictures can be a bit yucky. Not for the weak of stomach!

The pictures below are why you should arrive at the fish market so early. The market lasts all morning, but the human-sized tuna fish auction begins at 5:30. Check these guys out!

This video is of the auction. There are dance moves, beats, and songs. We wondered how one qualifies for the position, and if auditions are held?

After witnessing the crazy auction, and getting my fill of slimy fishiness, we headed just across the street for the freshest sushi you'll ever dream of. Note the bottom picture where I include beer, sushi, and my watch to demonstrate my 6 am meal. The place was packed and tiny--the line outside growing longer by the minute. I have to admit that after walking the stalls of the market, the sushi was slightly less appetizing, but was (in taste) the best I've ever had....

Now for a quick nap (it's only 8 am still), before exploring the city (aka getting lost in the world without English).

If I were a human-sized tuna fish, my name would be Georg (no, not George).

Japan -- Part 3 Fun with Tokyo!

Oh, where do I begin?

1. Work was tough today. Long, stressful, tiring, frustrating. By the end of the day, I managed to shake it off, and call myself silly for getting caught up in it. Roll with the punches, Lori! Roll with it! I said to myself. It worked. I rolled...

2. We made our reservations for the Japanese Inn at the base of Mt. Fuji (in Hokone) for Saturday night. It was complicated. And it's going to be lovely, awkward, and hilarious all rolled into one. We are all 4 staying in the same room (4 beds). Two married women (Carrie and I), one married / family man (Patrick), and one gay man (Todd). Not only are we sharing a room, but they're hot springs. Hello! Nakedness! At least it's coed, but Carrie and I still agree to stagger visits. It's the whole being naked in front of colleagues thing. Additionally, we're all getting massages, but for some reason we HAVE to have them as couples, and only man / woman. So, either Carrie is having hers with Todd, or she's having it with Patrick. And whoever she doesn't have hers with, I'm having mine with. AWKWARD. But amusing nonetheless, because there's nothing we can do about it.

3. We went to a baseball game tonight at the Tokyo Dome. Really fun! I will post some Tokyo-ish pics from the game. The rest of the blog will be pictures. I'm tired of writing. HOWEVER, no work starting tomorrow! YAY! We have the day free. We're meeting at 4:15 am in the lobby to attend the famous fish market. Can't wait to have some free time.

OK, here goes--I will try to add captions, but most should speak for themselves.


This is the bathroom door I chose at the ballgame.

Carrie chose this stall instead. She never caught the whole "Western" / "Non-Western" stall door. haha.

One of the best Fe-mullets I've ever seen. Actually one of the best mullets PERIOD.

The beer girl with keg backpack pouring us a few. She was not crazy-looking, but the Kirin girls wore neon green 80's outfits.

Everyone loves Wrangler. Especially satiny Wrangler. At baseball games in Tokyo. Carrie likes to pose with them.

Our hero, number 24, posing on a pillar. And no, Tokyo doesn't have crazy green trees. But they do have green spotlights on their trees to make them look crazy.

If I were a Tokyo baseball player, my last name would be Hamaranya.

I miss you too, Ian. :(

can you believe it!

I finally post, and Lori one-ups me with two count'em TWO posts in a single night. I can't win.

Well, I'll show her, keep your eyes out for another Philippines post from me later today/tonight.

I miss you Lori. Come home soon. :)

Japan -- Part 2

I should have called the last post Japan -- Part 1.5. It's just hours later, and I'm posting again. Mainly because I don't want to be behind, and have to weed through photos.

One excellent view from our Microsoft office is the intriguing Krispy Kreme. Yes, I did have a couple of good old glazed donuts today. But that's not the intriguing part. The craziness comes in the afternoon, when the lines to get into Krispy Kreme wrap 3 zig zagged rows deep (amusement park style)--not to mention the guy there to police the Krispy Kreme line, and the fact that there are chains set up, and a separate line around the building. The Krispy Kreme policeman allows more people from the separate line into the amusement park line as it thins out. He opens the chains and allows people to get through. The line stays this way literally all afternoon, and was still kicking when we left the office at 6:30 today.

A lack of consensus on dinner found 4 of us cabbing it to a tower (38th floor) to have sushi. It was in our own private little room. We had $40 Toro (this is for each person), sake, beer, and lots of sushi. It was a good meal, and the view was great.

We then headed to Shabuyia and walked around looking at the lights and crazy amounts of people. One thing I read about Tokyo prior to coming is that there are the same amount of people walking around the city at 3 pm than there are at 3 am. I can see it. It's always crowded. Surprisingly crowded, and even more surprisingly spotless.

We stopped in a local bar, had a beer...left to find another, and realized we couldn't keep our eyes open. Back to the hotel after all.

We are booking a hot spring resort for Saturday night, and leaving Tokyo. This is exciting. I think it's at the base of Mt. Fuji and should be an unforgettable experience.

Hooray!

Oh, we also stopped at a shopping mall near the MS office--where I found the infamous Musk Melon phenomenon. These apparently are absolutely perfect cantaloupe-looking melons, that make great gifts. The one pictured here is a mere $136. Wow.

If I were a Japanese beer, my name would be Corey.