Day 8 Yokohama/Tokyo

In case you don't know Yokohama is a different city but it has, through urban sprawl, become a part of Tokyo. Saturday hosted what was the central event of the weekend, the football game between Japan and Scotland, a friendly in the stadium that hosted the 2002 world cup final. We left the house at about 11 and strolled down to Shinbuya, I packed up my man bag for a days travel. It took a while to get to the station and that was because the group was so huge. We jumped on a train and followed George's lead to Yokohama. Kyle was suffering from a wicked hangover and almost puked on the train but he soldiered through it.

The day was a cracker and it was perfect for a stroll. Yokohama is along the coast and on saturdays it is the premier date spot for young couples, there was lots of love in the air. We split up in order to see Chinatown and grab some lunch. I quizzed George on Tokyo life as we ate some delicious chinese food. After walking up and down the small but busy streets the group met up and headed to the harbour. We took a lovely walk along the coast amongst the couples and ended up meeting the Scottish fans.

There was a food and music festival and I must have spent 10euro on ice cream, that is after a 12euro burger but it was worth it. We all hung out on the grass catching zzzz and chatting about this and that. I ended up wrestling a very frisky Kyle after I tried to introduce the rugby tackle into the group dynamic. The sun started to set and we all headed toward the stadium. I thought that it would be just around the corner but it was actually a train ride and a good walk to the stadium, it took ages to get there because of the amount of us and beer stops, toilet stops etc etc. George got us there though and by god fair play to him he got us there just for kick off.

On the stands no one was sitting, everyone was standing and the place was packed. I was expecting a nice seat and we'd sit back and slag off Scotland and how hopeless they are. We were in the Japanese section and they did not stop singing. A few people were looking at us as we were the only Gaijin that I could see. It felt like the time I was supporting meath in the hill 16 in the dublin meath leinster final, except I felt a lot safer in Japan. At the start of half time we managed to get better standing spots and farrell came up with a very catchy chant, I will try and spell it phonetically,

"Scot u land dough, Scot u land dough, Gam bat ea, Kur dough sai!"

When there was a lull in the Japanese chanting we sang it loudly and people started to turn and stare at us laughing but then a security guard told us we couldn't chant or sing for scotland because we were in the Japanese section, booooo but sure we all were having fun and at the end we waited for everyone to leave and Phil gave a high 5 to almost everyone who passed. Lots of the Japanese appreciated his madness but it didn't impress everyone, he got lots of photos like the one below.



The game passed us by and we didn't care that Japan won 2 nil because it wasn't a great game but we did have a great time. Leaving the stadium and getting back to Tokyo took forever and I was going to write about why but I won't. I will say though that by the time I got to Tokyo I just wanted to sit down. George managed to convince me and a few others that we needed to go to a club and see Tokyo's nightlife, he was very convincing so I ran to change clothes in a mac donalds and downed two red bulls. I was ready and we set off to WOMB which normally costs 35 euros to get in but we managed, thanks to george, to get in for 15, awesome.

Womb was incredible! The lightshow was phenomenal and Phil managed to get a ton of people to follow his dance moves, to put it in his words he started a religion and he had his followers. Then Devin, who is a bear of a man, started dancing with a girl and was swing dancing with her. He was just throwing her around the place and everyone was looking at the two of them. After that he picked up another Gaijin who had a scottish flag and the DJ who was rapping spared a few lyrics dedicated to Scotland, HA!, we were only in the place 20 mins and some of the lads had taken over.

We were then brought down stairs to a private party where I cannot talk about what happened because what happens in Tokyo stays in Tokyo, ha ha nothing big happened don't worry.

Myself, Kyle and Phil had to leave early in order to try watch the Ireland Italy game. We headed to where we thought there was an Irish bar and we somehow broke into the building where we found it closed but because it was Japan there was no alarms or security. We sat outside calling places which all ended up without any success. Then we were offered Hookers by a female Pimp who came out of nowhere and wouldn't leave til I told her we three were married. Then she disappeared into nowhere.

We headed to Mc Donalds and strolled home, btw the house is never locked, it's in a really central location but it doesn't need to be locked, amazing right? I was wrecked and my feet were killing me and I never looked forward to my thermarest like I did that night but it was another fantastic day in Japan. George came in at 6 and knocked loads of stuff over and called Phil a dishonourable snowman. A fitting end to a fantastic day.

Day 7 A Japanese Haircut and a Trip to Tokyo

Friday was the first day of a terrific weekend away. Phil had to work a half day so I had a morning to kill, I decided to pop into the local hairdressers to get my ears clipped as the Hungarians say I think? Anyway there was a place nearby which was called Longs. Phil warned me that the guy who worked there was very friendly and would want to chat away, bollox, I love not talking while I get a haircut. I got up late got some brekkie and then headed down.

I walked in and was shocked by how small it was, he only had two chairs and he was the only barber or hairdresser. He was very friendly though and I was seated immediately. His barber chair was awesome. It was the Lazyboy version of a barber chair. It was huge and he must have wrapped 6 cloths around my neck, there was no hairs getting down my neck.

He washed and conditioned my hair twice, it must have taken 10 minutes. Then he started to cut my hair, he was very meticulous and went through it hair by hair, well almost. He was chatting away as well. He asked me where I was living/from/do sports wise/work as etc etc. He talked about himself as well, mostly in Japanese but he had some English. He really put in the effort though. Then he washed my hair again, twice. He then shaved my sideburns and round my neck, then he styled my hair.

He must have taken 40minutes to do the whole thing but I thought my hair looked awesome, no one except Phil commented though :( He then charged me 2000 yen or 14 euros, what a deal! You would never get that kind of service for less than a 100 euros (maybe I exaggerate but ah hell) in Ireland, although I did have to put up with a lot of awkward moments like when he kept squeezing my leg.

I ran up to Phi'is house and felt like a new man, refreshed, I feel great after getting a haircut, I didn't even need a shower as he had managed to keep all the hairs away from my neck. I packed for Tokyo and read through the guidebook about one of the world's great cities. I had to stop after a couple of minutes because there was just too much to do. I awaited Phil's return. When he arrived we went for some sushi with Saki and Valerie, it was a lovely relaxed lunch and we got to see the chefs put together some dishes.

We organised our things and headed to Himeji to meet Kyle and Kay and head to Tokyo. We hung out for a while in Himeji and got some food and snacks. There was a rush of sorts to the track but all was ok and we got the right train and managed to switch the seats so we could face each other. On the train journey we played some top trumps with countries of the world, no one one but just before we stopped I had a pretty good number of cards. We then prepped for the entrance exams for grad school in the states. My god was it tough some of the words you need to know. I always thought you just needed the money to go to grad school. It turns out you need brains and a ton of money.

The journey passed in no time and I ate a ton of chocolate covered almonds. We got into a part of Tokyo and then got a subway to Shibuya. When we excited the station I got a rush of excitement. So much noise, so many people, so many lights the place was incredible. It was exactly how I imagined. The place just oozed Big City life and the best thing about the weekend was we had a host. George an ex ALT who was putting up like 10 of us plus the three already in his house. George is a tall red head from Engerland who I had heard a lot about, I was looking forward to meeting him and I was not disappointed, the guy is a legend.

George showed up and Phil had an orgasm, it's nice to see ex lovers with such a good relationship. We WALKED to George's house yes walked, it was only 15 minutes from one of the most central places in Tokyo and 5 minutes from the ex prime minister. He lived in a house, a beautiful house and we chilled there for a while until most of the guests had arrived. We listened to music and gifts were exchanged, I felt like a bit of a tool cause I didn't have a present but I am going to send some stuff over to Georgie sometime soon.

We eventually headed out to a nearby bar where we chatted about this and that and then another bar where we watched some football and talked to drunk Japanese men and some travelling Scots. We all headed back to Georges, I was really enjoying Tokyo and I was itching to get to bed so I could get up again, stay tuned for more tales of Tokyo.

Day 6 Hiroshima/Kobe

I got up early and expected to see a town being drenched in Typhoon showers but the sun was out in force and it was a lovely 20 degrees Celsius, beautiful. I was talking to one of the dutch fellas just as I was getting dressed and he said that he kept waking up during the night because there were blue pillowcases falling on him. He eventually realised that the guy in the bunk above was throwing them at him. He thought that he might have been snoring and the Japanese fella in the bunk above was trying to get him to stop?

I bid farewell to the hungover dutch and headed to the station to leave my bags in a locker. I had a look at train timetables as well and I was left with a choice of spending half a day in Hiroshima or a full day and try to get out to Migamie (?) Island. I found out after breakfast that the Island wasn't accessible because none of the early ferries had run because of the threat of a typhoon, it had given sailors a reason to take a day off. Odd for such a thing to happen especially in Japan but sure thems the ways. I headed into town on the tram and strolled down to the museum and Peace Island where I relaxed in the sun reading.

There were a huge number of schoolkids visiting and all the different types of uniforms and hats were very impressive. I was reading the Trial by Kafka and I was flying through it. When travelling alone it is essential to always have a book. When doing the cycle I would just sit down in a park and read when I couldn't find anything to do. This is often the best part of the day as I read with relaxed concentration and every now and again I take a break to stare at people passing or moments nearby, sitting still can be a great way to see a place, and also to see a place at it's best.

I got the 1 o clock train and told Phil via payphone that I was heading back early and it was then I saw that the train I was getting was going to Kobe so I said that I'd see Kobe and then head back as Phil would be in work til 5 anyhow. The Shinkansen as usual was amazing and I was in Kobe in no time but alas I was in Shin Kobe so I had to get a locker for my bag and then a subway into the city centre.

When I got into the city centre I tried to ring Phil and couldn't get through. I stupidly got a bit panicky and tried to find a tourist centre where a lady was able to tell me that the other lady down the line was saying Phil's phone was off, battery of course! I relaxed then, I sometimes get these panicky moments. I started to wander through Kobe and wow was I impressed. It had a great atmosphere and by god the glamour was breathtaking. All the girls were dressed up and the placed looked like a model casting. I walked up and down the streets just people watching and poking in and out of shops.

I wanted some coffee and ashamedly headed into Starbucks for a fix. I got a black coffee and sat for an hour in the warmth while it got darker outside. As I left all the staff said goodbye as usual, very nice people, Kobe people. I decided it was time to go back to Himeji and first Shin Kobe. I got there without any hassle then I went to the locker to get my bag, I opened it and it was empty. Oh Shite! I didn't freak out though because I knew that this was Japan and nobody steals in Japan. My bag had to be somewhere. The Info desk was closed as was the police desk. I went over to the ticket sales and after talking to 3 different people the manager came over and walked with me to my locker.

He had no English but through the language of charades I got my point across he then gestured for me to stay still and 15 mins later he came back with a fella who was smiling and beckoning me to follow him. I walked with him into a back room thinking what the hell is going on? am I in trouble? He led me to his office, I presume, and there was my bag untouched. I had no idea what he was trying to tell me so I just said thank you many times and bowed and left. What had just happened?

I missed the next train but in no time another had arrived and I was flying along towards Himeji. I opened my book and noticed that I had kept the cup heat protector from the Starbucks cup. It had written on it in black marker, "have a good night!", and a Japanese smiley face. Oh now that was nice!

again images are borrowed so contact me if you want them down, peace!

Day 5 Hiroshima

This was the first day of my independent travel and I was slightly anxious because the last real time I travelled alone was the bike trip which was a great experience but very lonely at times. I had booked at a hostel called Hana hostel which Phil had actually stayed in while he was there, it helps a lot to know that you have a place to stay before you arrive at a place. Often when I was on my cycling trip I didn't book ahead and I hated showing up in cities and then searching for a bed.

So I got the Shink from Himeji at about 12pm and while I was waiting a Nozomi passed through the station and my god was it incredible. I was easily 10m or more away from it when it passed but I felt it was pulling me under, the power of the train was phenomenal and it was something so simple but so memorable. The Hikari only took an hour and a half to get to Hiroshima and when I arrived I threw my bags into a locker and started to amble.

There was a tram which could have brought me straight into town but I walked along streets which ran parallel to it and I knew roughly where I was going. In case you didn't know Hiroshima was bombed during the second world war with an A Bomb, the place was flattened. So the city I was seeing was a young city like Rotterdam but it had much more charm. The city was very walkable and I strolled around until I found the A Dome. I always thought that it was going to be bigger but I resolved to come back at night because it would resemble more the dome we see in the photographs. During the day the place is swarmed with tourists and it's difficult to appreciate.

I walked back to the station to get my bags and check into the hostel. I noticed that there was huge numbers of people around the hostel and all wearing red. When I was checking in I saw that there was a baseball game on and tickets would be available at the stadium and would be pretty cheap. I ran upstairs to the room and had a shower then met my room mates for the evening. They were a group of Dutch men who were travelling Japan trying to see as many shrines as possible and one fella was particularly worried about the typhoon that was supposed to hit tonight, I told him that it was just heavy rain and wind and not a hurricane. Phil had told me that the Japanese totally over hype typhoons and where as Ireland would do no preparation Japan goes crazy issuing reports/warnings/sandbags etc. I was glad I could read/listen to any news.

After leaving the hostel I strolled up to the Baseball Stadium which was HUGE, home to Hiroshima Carp and tonight they were playing the Tigers, which are Phil's local team. I bought a ticket without much hassle and started to look at all the merchandise. Everyone was wearing Carp kit and the stadiums shop was flooded with fans buying all sorts of crap. I saw the away teams stand and found an awesome Tigers jersey which was 50euro but well worth it. You will probably see me wearing it in future/future photos. I didn't wear the jersey at the game though because I was in the home section and I didn't know how they react to having a single Gaijin wearing a jersey, they'd probably just laugh but to me on the safe side I kept it in the bag.

I was, as usual, way too early for the game and I spent my time freezing in the stands. No one was sitting anywhere near me until some salarymen sat down next to me. The game started and so did the chanting, non stop chanting. It was so well organised and the supporters didn't seem to be taunting each other like one might see in England or down the road from me in Dalymount. I had no idea what was happening in the game, I couldn't tell who was winning and because the supporters kept cheering whenever anything happened I was stumped as to when something bad happened. The scoreboard didn't help either, it made no sense. The lads beside me after a few beers started to look and talk to me, nonsense really as they were getting steadily plastered.

I popped down to get some food at half time, I think? I managed to get an amazing burger and I watched the rest of the game from down there as the rain had started to fall and stupid Eric hadn't brought a rain jacket. Two people said hello to me though, a drunken tigers fan said hello and pointed to my jersey in the bag and said good good and then two girls said hello and ran off giggling. The match was over and still I didn't know who had won both sets of supporters seemed equally happy and the scoreboard was as confusing as binary. I walked home quickly in the drizzle(typhoonesque) and was happy to see the hostel which was warm and treated me to some Internet time.



I grabbed my jacket though and headed out to into the fierce typhoon drizzle walking into the city centre. I made it to the dome and at night it was deserted and was very moving. The city looked very pretty lit up at night and the walk back was fun as I found some covered streets full of shops and restaurants. Salarymen on their way home and a good few Gaijin heading out for a night on the town. I cannot think of any other country which could rebuild a city after an A Bomb but Japan did it and did it well. They had two options really, leave it like Auschwitz, untouched for tourists or rebuild it and I think they made the right choice. The demand for living space I am sure was a big factor but there is no point in leaving a ruined city just for tourists who are likely to visit anyway.

When I got back to the hostel I hung out with the very drunk Dutch lads who were talking nonsense but company was nice after a quiet evening. I headed to bed wrecked after a day of walking and baseball based confusion. again photos are borrowed so contact me if you want them taken down, thanks

Day 4 Himeji Castle

I am just back from watching the Dublin marathon which passed by near my house. So many people and I even saw a friend who I did not expect to see. So day 4 began with a sad moment, my new BFF Andrew was leaving Japan, heading back to work in Korea. I was lucky though because I was not yet travelling alone as I had been invited to join a friend of Phil's in a visit to Himeji Castle. Phil's friend Keiko picked me up at around 10am which meant I had a lovely late start, she drove me into Himeji in her car which was the same design as I had previously described in another post, square front and back.

On the drive into Himeji I noticed something very funny, the workmen who were doing road repairs/improvements all wore hilarious uniforms. Imagine a seventies space movie and think about the extras on the space ships and what they might wear and you have the uniform of the council worker in Japan. Well I will try find a photo of an Irish council worker and a Japanese one and you will see why I found it so funny. The Irish Pride ad comes to mind.

It was a rainy day though, the first since coming to Japan, it was only really drizzle though and was quite refreshing. The view of the castle really is quite stunning and no matter what the time of day or variety of weather this is definitely the type of thing you think of when you think of japan. I saw the castle originally at night and it was lit up beautifully. The walk up to it was through a charming little park and the price of entry was only about 4 euro which is quite decent. You have to remove your shoes as you enter which means that you can appreciate the beauty of the wooden floors.

As you enter the castle there is a lovely smell. You walk and climb up through the levels of the castle and as you do you pass small displays of everything from scripts to samurai suits. Then when you reach the top there is a shrine and some beautiful views over Himeji which could be liked to Rio except the hills are a little smaller and the favelas are a lot more inhabitable ;)

There was also a suicide square where shamed soldiers would commit ritual suicide and apparently after they had done so their family ie their wife would have to stab herself in the throat or so I recall. After we finished with the castle we headed over to a restaurant for some lunch where Keiko's mother was meeting us, I had met her previously at the dinner on Sunday and the class the night before. I just realised that I forgot to talk about karaoke the night before with Phil and Andrew, well I'll keep that for another post.

The restaurant was another place where you had to cook your own dish. We had a flat hot plate on the table where we cooked a omelet type dish. It had an odd taste but I liked it and I know that if I ate more it would grow on me. I chatted away to Keiko and her mother about this and that. My speech always changes when I go abroad, I talk much slower and clearer while in Ireland I barely finish each word and all the words in a sentence will sometimes just converge, a wortence.

After lunch I was dropped off at the train station and I had a look for a book store. I found one easily and started to look for maps. I was not having any look so I asked a young lady who I guessed would have the best English, wrong be I but her friend went off and they both came back after 5 mins with the 3 exact maps I was looking for. I went through each one with them just to be sure and I asked about the mountains in each cause they were in Kanji. When I asked about Tsurgi Dake(?) they went ohhhhhh thinking I must be a serious mountaineer, of course I didn't ruin that thought.

At the counter I had to wait for a moment and while I waited a child in his father's arms turned to me and said HELLO. I was stunned but luckily enough I managed to say hello in Japanese which suitably spooked him. It's funny because Phil told me that many of the younger children think that he is Japanese and don't recognise his facial differences, I wonder what the average age is for realising such. I suppose it's when we realise that there is more outside of what our buggies can show us.

After map shopping I strolled back to the fook, with the assistance of a train of course, and then relaxed in Phil's apartment until he came back. We then went out for some snacks and then I started to plan tomorrows trip. Day 4 was a relaxed day but a very enjoyable one, jet lag wasn't killing me but it was wrecking me in the afternoons a bit.

Back in Real Time: I saw a great movie about Japan this evening but I don't want to talk about it here, send me an email if you want a link, ewahlrab@gmail.com

again photo is borrowed, contact me if you want it down

Day 3 Kyoto

This post is going to take me ages to write and will probably be of poor quality because I was watching some amazing moto GP, will Rossi make it? I think he will. So anyway on Day 3 Phil had to go to work, it was a Monday and he left the house at 650, fair play. I had a plan to visit Kyoto and I was going with Andrew Farrell who was spending his last day in Japan. We left the house quite late at 9am, we had to navigate to the station which was not a straightforward walk. There are no street signs in Japan, they don't name roads only junctions.

We made it to the station though just in time for our train. We were getting the Shinkansen to Kyoto which meant about a 1hour 50min journey. When we got to Himeji we found out that Andrew had to pay twice the price for the train ticket, we thought it would be around 20euro but it was actually 37euro. This is where Japan is expensive, if you want to take the rails and you want to take the quick trains you have to pay big bucks. That is why if you are visiting Japan, get a Rail Pass! They are worth getting as long as you do one big trip like Osaka to Tokyo and back, after that all your shink trips and normal trips are free, sorta.

We were on the train to Kyoto and this was when I learnt some really really interesting things about betting in Ireland and some betting rumours. I wont repeat them here because that wouldn't be right, Rossi's the champ! So we were chatting away and I moved over to make space for a salaryman when we looked outside and realised oh SHITE we are in Kyoto. We legged it to the door but they wouldn't open we looked out to the official on the platform who saw our desperation and looked at us forlornly as the train pulled out of the station. We only had 5 hours in Kyoto to start with and now that would be cut to 4 as the next stop was 30mins away in Nagoya. When we got there we managed to hop onto a return train straight away. Lady luck was smiling.

We got to Kyoto and it took us a while to orientate ourselves and figure out which direction we were headed. We thought that Kyoto was a walking city, we were so wrong. We walked to the Palace but it was a helluva walk and it was humid as hell so I was a little sweaty and uncomfortable. The Palace park is beautiful and the outside of the palace is impressive but we couldn't go in because you have to book ahead by 24hours, bollox, efficiency, bureaucracy, contradiction again. We sat on a bench and watched a 70 year old do some step aerobics on the bench beside us, then he stretched out and did some sit ups. Can you imagine your grandad doing that?

We had a map of Kyoto and we decided to head to a "nearby" shrine, then a temple, we found neither. The map was truly awful, the scale was very misleading, sure it was only a tourist centre map. We eventually gave up and decided we should stroll back in the general direction of the station. This turned out to be the best decision of the day as we walked down small charming streets seeing beautiful buildings along the way. We also managed to stay away fairly well from the traffic. We had to find an Atm for Andrew so we spent the next while searching for a post office because if you ever visit Japan you'll soon realise that the banks don't accept foreign cards only citibank and the post offices, awkward but it didn't bother me too much as I brought a lot of cash over with me, something I would recommend others to do.

When we got to the station we were faced with a choice. If we got the Hikari Shink we'd be late home if we got the Nozomi we would be early. We weren't allowed on the Nozomi, my rail pass didn't cover it and Andrew's ticket didn't either. We needed to get home early as we were hoping to go with Phil to his adult English class, yeah that's what I thought. We decided to pull some Gaijin magic and jump on the Nozomi. Nobody checked our tickets and we were shitting it the whole way home, scared crazy every time a conductor came past. We celebrated like school girls when we got to Himeji and got onto the Bantan line back to Fukusaki. So exciting but so worth it, the Nozomi cut down the journey from 1 hour 50min to an hour. It truly is an amazing service but it is expensive or so I hear, cheeky......

We joined Phil at 7 and were soon off to his adult class. He was well prepared with quizzes and reading material. We had to give a little spiel about ourselves and as usual I over talked and spent way too much time talking about crap, although I think they liked it. Their English was excellent and we had fun talking about evolution and ghosts, they all believed. Myself and Andrew were a bit mischievous and were making things a little difficult for Phil, being contentious over words and questions. It was to be expected though. The class was a lot of fun and Phil mentioned that he really enjoyed teaching it. I am sure it is nice teaching kids but variety as they say is the spice and it's nice to have different challenges.

After the class we went for Chinese food and it was fantastic. I had hardly eaten all day and we chatted gayly as the night passed. Girl Chat ya know. So the day was over and it didn't go to plan most of the time but it was a good day because I have a way of judging days while away. If you remember that day and have a story to tell about it then it was a good day even if shit happened. So day 3 was fun but I will have to visit kyoto again and next time I will definitely rent a bicycle. Enjoy the bank holiday if you are in the west. again the photos are borrowed so contact me if you want them taken down, peace!!!!

Day 2 Beaten Let Jag

I woke up at 9am on Sunday and i thought to myself huzzah I have beaten the jet lag. The sunshine outside gave me high hopes for the day ahead. Sunday was all about two events really, a gyoza making lesson and a dinner party in the evening. I missed very little of home while I was away but I did miss breakfast. Cereal in Japan is a rip off (like hungary) and the milk is a bit dodgy, if you know Irish people especially young men you'll know we are elitist about Irish milk and butter, so pastries were the only way to go. I got a croissant which had scrambled egg and a sausage on it, sounds awful but I lived off them for two weeks.

Gyoza are boiled pastries, like short fat spring rolls, which have everything from chicken to potato in them. The event we were going to today was organised by a Japanese lady who had enlisted several Chinese girls to teach us all how to make gyoza, they are a Chinese food. The event was actually for local kids and we were just tagging onto the event. Phil's friend Saki had invited us and her father was kind enough to give us a lift. He was a quiet man so I just sat in the back enjoying the smooth ride into the next town. The roads in Japan are perfect and I don't think I saw one pothole while I was there. The Cars that they drive though are weird, flat fronts and backs, it is rare to see western style cars. The whole country exports all its beautiful cars and keep the workhorses for the motherland.

When we got to the gyoza we found out that we were also helping out with the event. We stood at the registration desk greeting all the kids who came. We had to take the money in and give the kids name tags. I stood there with the typical Wahlrab awkward stupid smile as I had nothing to do but rip off the name tags for Phil who was showing off with his katakana (?) or HIragana (?) I am not sure which but he was able to write the names of all the children, very impressive stuff. Most of the kids were shy at first but this was obviously just a facade.

After all the kids had arrived we went into the kitchen. We were in a town hall type building which had a gallery, a kitchen, school rooms and god know what else. The kitchen was well equipped though and we were shown how to roll the doll and wrap up the gyoza. All the kids were so well behaved it was incredible, they listened so attentively and didn't chat to their friends or fiddle with the knives. Everyone was split into groups and the work started. Most of the children were shy and reserved and so was I. I watched how Phil started to interact with the children and when he started to talk to them they all started to talk back and then all of a sudden the questions started and the prodding. They were obsessed with my sunglasses and thought it was hilarious when they put them on.

The Gyoza were made and no one ate any until they had sat down and said a kind of grace like prayer. After the food the kids were much more playful and wanted their photo taken/to be chased/to be picked up. We had become the latest toy :) The insulin spikes caused by recent consumption had had the desired effect. It was quite odd to be able to play with young children without feeling like others are looking at you and thinking "peeeedooooo". In Ireland I avoid looking at kids for fear of parents shooting you dirty looks, except when I am working in the surgery cause at least then the parents trust you somewhat.

When the Gyoza party finished we were followed out and it took 15mins to say goodbye in total. We had to walk to get the bus home which we missed but we ended up lying down by the side of the road waiting. The sun was blaring and I was in heaven, I was wrecked tired but I was relaxed in the 26 degree heat with a light breeze. We actually ended up getting a lift from Saki's dad, top bloke, as my English cousins might say. When we got back to da fook I had enough time for a light siesta and then we were off to dinner with some friends of Phil and his adult class.

We had dinner in a Korean bbq where we had grills in our tables and they brought us meat to cook. I was not looking forward to cooking but thankfully a lovely Japanese girl named Hiroko (?) cooked for us pretty much all evening. Phil said that this usually happens, the women commander the grill, sure I would just fook it up anyway. I was talking away that evening, the big mouth on me. I talked a load of shite as usual about the economy in Ireland, my work, nutrition, sports, the Irish health service. It was a fantastic evening and I listened to others as well just in case you were wondering!

The food was delicious and it was a good idea that I didn't know exactly what I was eating, although I definitely ate some tentacles, I saw the suckers. There was a great atmosphere in the restaurant and it was a pity we couldn't fit everyone at the same table. I didn't get to talk to everyone either but I talked with most and hopefully if/when I return I will chat more with the others, sure tis a small world. After dinner we walked nice and slowly back to Phils where I tried to be polite and sleep on my thermarest because we were struggling with floor space. I should not have been polite. I had just bought the thermarest and it's one of the new neo airs, it pack down really small and light but it's short and really narrow. It was good practice though for tokyo, of tokyo, tokyo, tokyo. End of Day 2 and what a day it was! More photos to follow.

Day 1 Nippon

The journey itself wasn't too bad, 12 hours was long but the flight was comfortable and I managed to snooze a little. When I arrived in Kansai International Airport though I was hoping to be greeted by some air conditioning but it was very stuffy thanks to the mid morning sun. As I was walking to passport control I had my first funny encounter with something typically Japanese. The sign for non Japanese passengers was "Foreigners" so un PC but a perfect welcome. It made me feel special ho ho ho.

I had no problem with customs and I was through with my baggage so quickly I had to wait for Mr Farrell for a few moments. I noticed immediately the efficiency of the Japanese when I looked at my feet and saw walkways marked out for the blind. When Phil arrived we had a man hug and a moment after which we started toward the trains. We got my rail pass and I was very impressed with Phil's Japanese.

On the train into Osaka we chatted away taking up four seats in the special needs reserved area. I mentioned this to Phil as the train started to fill up but he said that even if we moved our bags and shifted it was unlikely anyone would sit beside us cause we were foreigners and no one would dare give out to us about our obstruction. We moved the bags though through my insecurity/embarrassment and no one sat next to us for ages. I think that fact that I might have stunk multiplied the "Gaijin" factor.

When we got into Osaka the bags were dumped into a locker and I changed into a new t shirt, oh what a feeling, glorious! The first few things I noticed about Osaka was the people and the noise. So many people and when we went into a underground shopping/eating area there was shouts all around me. Phil took me for some Ramen and it was delicious. We sat at a low bar and shook with the passing of nearby trains. I started upon the journey of chopstick mastery and again we chatted about Japan, Home and other Random topics.

After Ramen we went for a quick stroll through the nearby neighbourhood. I was excited by everything, the colours, fashion, shoe shops and kanji. I hadn't really slept in almost 24 hours and yet I was buzzing with excitement. We wandered for a little longer and I soon noticed the high concentration of beauty everywhere I looked. There was so many beautiful women all dressed with great glamour, reminded me of a rich Romania with minor alternate facial structural differences, yes I am talking about the eyes, yeah i am a big racist ya ya ya etc.

The train back to Fukusaki (where Phil lives) allowed me to see the beauty in the landscape of Japan, there were these beautiful mountains in the distance. When we got to da fook we had to walk a good 30 mins which made me quite sweaty but it made the shower after it even more pleasant. Phil's apartment is quite small but it has character and AC so I was not complaining. We rested a while before heading out to go see a moon viewing festival in Himeji. We were late for the train and cycled like crazy with the two of us on one bike. We arrived at the station and had to sprint to make the train. We were both covered in a fresh layer of sweat. I then met Phil's friend Saki and his beau Kay, but I will talk more about them later.

In Himeji we met some friends of Phil and then headed to get some food. Banter ensued and I got called Rambo, YES!!, anyway after that I got into a groove, I was running on reserves but it was OK cause i was running. One of Phil's friends Kozue (?) found my choice in snack very funny and bought me a lovely post card which really reflected my diverse personality. We all then converged on Himeji castle which you can hopefully see above. There was traditional music and I met up with Phil's brother Andrew who was visiting for the weekend. The evening was incredible and I am finding it hard to write about it as I sit here looking out at the rain, sad as hell to be back in Ireland.

After the festival a few drinks were had and a pants amnesty followed that. I made a cigarette box and we failed to get the karaoke going. I made it back to the fook at around 1am. I took a sleeping tablet and crashed out after a fantastic first day.

I am going to try and go through this day by day which means that there might not be a ton of reflection in each post rather more recollection but I might write individual posts dealing with topics worthy of reflection. It's going to be difficult for me to write as I have so far found it hard being home after such a fantastic holiday.

PS I hope you enjoy typos as I am far too lazy to read through this again right now, maybe later;)
PPS photos will sometimes be taken from flickr so contact me if you want them taken down

Rebirth in the East

I have not paid any attention to this in months and it annoys me that I failed to keep it going steady because I had plenty to talk about and no one to tell. I guess it took a certain something to motivate me to start blabbering on again.

That something is JAPAN!

I am in the airport with my ticket waiting to drop off my bag and I think this will be one of the best travel experiences I will ever have. I have thoroughly researched what I am going to do and how and if you want to hear stories about Philipu San, Mountains, Serious Crowds and delicious foods well check back here daily as I will attempt to keep a constant update on my travels. This started as a travel blog and by god it might end as one but maybe it will have the same effect elsewhere, either a finale or a rejuvenation, lets see....

I love you all

Ohayo gozaimas (?)

2/3

So there are three great movies out in the cinema at the moment:

1. Slumdog Millionare
2. Milk
3. The Wrestler

I haven't seen the wrestler yet but I know it's going to be good and hopefully I'll see it tomorrow

I saw Milk last night, it was excellent, Interesting story, Great Acting from Penn and Brolin and I learned about a movement I knew very little about

Slumdog Millionare is brilliant, just so uplifting and shocking and endearing loads of mixed emotions but the end result is a brilliant movie, Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant etc.

Sore Knees

When I was 16 I did a 5 week course in Kickboxing and I hated it! Now truth be told I probably didn't give it a whole lot of time/energy so according to the mantra you get outta what you put inna I shouldn't criticise KB too much. I didn't like the stand up aspect to it. It was also a huge class done in school and I knew everyone else in the class so there was that self created pressure from the actual presence of my peers, puberty and all that!

I have always wanted to try a martial art again though with the primary aim of finding or rather learning some self defense skills if I am put into a position where running is not an option, to run really is the best option these days don't be fooled into thinking otherwise. So finally after 6 years I decided to attend a Brazilian Jiu Jitsui class in KO Martial Arts just up the road from me. I liked there website and ever since I have started to watch UFC I have really gotten interested in the BJJ aspects.

The first class was free so I went up on Thursday and told no one I was going. I am only writing it here because I know very few people read this and those that do I don't mind knowing. So I arrived and knew no one but got talking to one or two lads who were also beginners. I was worried about the whole affair because I had no idea how the whole sport worked but once the class started I was thrown in the deep end, which is a good thing in my opinion, and soon I was "rolling". It was like fighting with my brother, rolling around not punching or kicking just trying to grapple and get the best position.

I am not going to describe everything we learnt because 1. I can't be arsed and 2. If you are really interested you can come to a class with me (no really come along to a class). So for an hour I was "rolling" and also learning a few basic rules and techniques. I was sweating like a mad thing and heaving trying to catch my breath towards the end but I was enjoying it and it really made me slow down and think. One experienced fella taught me a lot, he told me not to tense up and relax don't struggle, rather react and then try to adapt to your advantage.

I tried to "roll" with more experienced guys as they were more than willing to help me learn and punish me too at times. I was held in head locks, arm locks and felt the life crunched out of me. It was also a little homoerotic in that you were really very very close with the other person. Although once it begins you don't notice any homoerotic things and after a while you don't see the other person as a person rather as a moving challenge and you detach any personal feelings from the "roll".

The next day though my god was I in pain! My muscles in my torso and some wicked bruises which are still with me now are reminding me of the DOMS I get after restarting weights but then again I hope that these are also DOMS otherwise I'd be a bit worried. Anyway the classes are on once or twice a week so I am going to try and make 1 or maybe two classes a week but Rowing will obviously take preference. So yes that's all really...........

Apprehension

It's been nearly 3 years since I went skiing and tomorrow I am off to St. Anton with my brother, mother and father. For a week we shall be facing very negative wind chills and I hope some fresh/moderately fresh snow. 

St. Anton is an amazing resort; so many runs & such good infrastructure. I am a little apprehensive about going with the whole family, my mum hasn't been skiing before and she doesn't plan to ski at all. I know she doesn't really read this anymore so I can safely say that I hope she doesn't dislike it and then take it out on the rest of us. 

Maybe I am a little too old for a family holiday or maybe I'm too much of a crank for one. I am apprehensive as I write this because I am always apprehensive before I go on holidays or trips. Ever since I did that cycle home, the big one, I have become apprehensive about travel, scared of travel alone and freaked out by exploring. I must have some sort of fucked up issue that my sub-conscious is not going to let me forget, I'll have to deal with it somehow because talking hasn't helped, maybe I need to just start a big stupid unprepared trip in order to get over it, like Jesus into the desert sort of dealie.

Anyway I'll write a report next weekend and hopefully have a few photo's. I spent my Christmas money on a ipod touch, the 32GB model, amazon.co.uk have a great price for them, I can't wait. 

Dear God of Snow

Please sir provide me with just the right amount of snow, and if you can limit my dad to just 2/3 cringy jokes a day I would be very grateful,

yours faithfully

Eric

PS did anyone see that last top gear, the Vietnam special, what a show.

New Years Resolutions

Hello everyone, I know I have been away for a while but I am sure you have all dealt with that and moved on, but hey who doesn't like checking up on an old flame. I would like to say that I have had a good reason for not writing for so long but really it has just been a result of me being lazy. 

In the past few months I have been plodding along at my course and in february I will be a qualified studio/gym instructor and a personal trainer. I can now teach step aerobics, normal aerobics, boxercise, spinning, body conditioning and I have written up a few programmes. I would say rather confidently that I am one of the best in the class but that means nothing unless a get a bit of experience.

In terms of my own health and fitness I have been rowing 5 days a week and I nearly had a bit of a burnout in relation to it but I managed to survive it and hopefully I will be in an 8 man boat for the national champs in July. I have also been doing a serious amount of strength training and my basic stats have been improved hugely, again the trumpet I know. 

So now my aims:

1. Last year I said I'd do a Triathlon well this year I will actually do one, I have plans to enter one in northern Ireland near the mourne mountains. I have started swimming and my 10k has gone sub 50mins which is good for someone my size.

2. Learn how to Squat properly, starting strength style.

3. Deadlift 150kgs, currently just on 100 but I could probably do one rep of 120

4. Pass my course, with flying colours, and get a fucking job.

5. Visit Japan to see Phil before he leaves.

6. Get another Tattoo.

tbc..........

it's always nice....

....... to have a challenge, I am going to try these two out this week, if anyone wants to join me?

hundred push ups
twenty pull ups

"a REAL celebrity"

Back in 1997 there was a young lady named Audrey who decided to go forth in search of greatness, she knew only one path to follow, the path of the gladiator. Yes young Audrey signed up to complete in the legendary 90's (and now revived) show Gladiators! She battled her way through the competition to become the 1997 womens champion. Young Audrey had etched her name into the annals of greatness.

Now 11 years later young Peter Eric Wahlrab is being educated by that great champion in the art of health and fitness. The world never ceases to give us the opportunity of reminding us how small it really is.

Crazy Stuff eh???

The Joys of a Moped

I have been driving my brothers moped around for the last day or two and I just have to write about how much fun moped are. He has a Honda X8RS which is 5 years old. We checked out online reviews of the bike before he bought it and they were all very positive. I had never before driven a moped or a motorcycle until this Honda. Here is why I think Mopeds are great:

1. The insurance and tax is so fucking cheap, if you get third party insurance, tax is only 40 euros and insurance for both of us for a year on provisional liscences was only 400euros. For any male who is under 25 and hasn't ever driven this sir is very cheap.

2. To fill a tank, which will last 4/5 days costs only €5.40, did you read that correctly? yes you did 5 euros 40 cents!

3. Off the mark it is lightning fast. If I am stopped at the front of the lights I can zoom off and get to 50k(general city speed limit) an hour so quickly, which means that I can get well ahead of any traffic behind me.

4. Mopeds/Scooters are so easy to drive. You have your throttle, front and back breaks, indicators, lights and horn. That's it! The joy of no gears is something else.

5. The feeling of driving a Moped: the rush of air on your legs and neck and the exposure to the elements is something which right now i am relishing but i know come a few month I will feel different about.

So yes mopeds are great but don't worry I still love cycling more and will be cycling up and down to DCU all this semester for the FI course, I am putting together the pinarello which I had in Budapest you can see her in her previous glory below: