The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: side_show on June 11, 2011, 11:54:28 pm
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I'm interested in traveling somewhere for a week on my own this summer (or possibly with a lady friend who may or may not join me) and looking for suggestions.
I'm feeling pretty adventurous about thisand considering going for a week to Cairo. I know some people would say such an idea is ill advised due to recent political upheaval, but I'm fairly fearless about travel and have heard now is a good time to go due to reduced tourist numbers. What makes it attractive is that there are so many things to do that traveling alone wouldn't be boring or too lonely.
Due to my husband's injury he is about to go back to work and will likely be unable to book time off for a while, while I have vacation time piling up and plenty of money saved up. I have a writer friend who may be interested in joining me, but her finances are very limited so I'm thinking a solo trip is the most likely to work out.
I have a budget of around $2000 for flight + hotel and am open to other suggestions.
There are some places I wont go, specifically because the husband and I have them on a bucket list to see together: London, anywhere in India, anywhere in Italy, Hong Kong, Paris and Ireland. There are places I won't go because I've already been there: Belgium, Havana/Varadero, Jakarta, Bali, Cancun/the Mayan Riviera of Mexico, Toronto, Banff, anywhere in Saskatchewan, North or South Dakota or Alabama.
The only other consideration is that my arthritis has been really bad lately, so although I've always wanted to see Machu Pichu (and the husband is not particularly interested), such intense hiking/camping (without the help of a travel companion) is out of the question these days.
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Japan!
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Boise
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There are hardly any places in Japan where you will get irradiated, and I believe that because people are afraid anyway, you could get good deals at hotels.
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But really, I saw all these shows that talked about half-empty hotels, and since I am obviously not going to get off my ass and take advantage of it, someone should. And hey, support the economy over there and such.
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I have no useful suggestion but wanted to say Cairo might seem cool because of reduced numbers but last I heard (which was a few weeks ago, admittedly) there's also reduced access to the big tourism stuff either because it's under crazy lock down to protect it or because the people who usually work there are busy fighting each other. So I'd double check that first.
The idea of being able to fly to europe plus get a hotel for 2 grand is crazy to me. Is it nice living in the equator where everything is near everything else.
Actually I do have a suggestion: How about China? Lots of cool stuff to see and relatively cheap. Even if you just spent a week in Beijing I think you'd have plenty to fill your time.
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I'd say check into what Doc says and go to Cairo if it's not closed down. That's a beautiful historical place to visit AND they are making history now that you can witness.
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I have always wanted to go to Buenos Aries, but yeah, your mileage may vary I think they say
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I have long wanted to go to Scotland, not just to see the land of my ancestors, and to have a beer in the Glencoe Pub while claiming a false last name, but to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It's in August. http://www.edfringe.com/
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I have long wanted to go to Scotland, not just to see the land of my ancestors, and to have a beer in the Glencoe Pub while claiming a false last name, but to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It's in August. http://www.edfringe.com/
Oh hells yes, this is also an awesome thing to do.
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I have always wanted to go to Buenos Aries, but yeah, your mileage may vary I think they say
Pedro has been there -- it's where his mother was born. (She grew up in Mendoza, though.) His trip was mainly visiting family, so he didn't do any of the touristy stuff. I wanted to go while his grandparents were alive, but at the time, there was a lot of political unrest and they advised us not to go. By the time the situation improved, they had passed on.
He still has lots of cousins and aunts and uncles there, so maybe we'll still go someday. Not 'til the kids are much, much older, though.
Smells, this is a great idea, you should definitely do it before you start trying to make a baby. Not traveling before I had kids is one of my few regrets.
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Villa Park.
Yes, I think that she should go to Villa Park, IL and see some strip malls. Roosevelt Road will make you grin!
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Boise
I used to live there and I really, really liked it. I would move back there if PDX didn't work for me.
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You've been a lot of places. I would suggest SE Alaska because I really like it, but $2k (even $2k CAN) might be a little tight.
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If you like to eat food and look at oceans, go to Spain. I'd land in Barcelona and spend a few days there, take a train to San Sebastian for a few days, then return to Barcelona. Or go to Sevilla and make time for a side trip to the Alhambra. Lots of narrow, medieval-feeling streets to confound and amaze you, and a tapas bar at every turn.
Ireland is also awesome. I'm particularly fond of Galway and Kilkenny.
Does the $US go further in Egypt than it does against the Euro? That's the only problem with Ireland or Spain - ol' greenbacks aren't worth what they used to be.
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Japan!
So the Cairo trip never happened - there was just too much violence against women getting reported and it seems to continue to be just a tad too unstable for me. Yesterday my hubby and I were talking about our next trip and we decided on Japan. I've been dreaming of getting lost in the depths of Tokyo ever since I flew over it (at night) when on my way home from Indonesia. I have an interest of things like sushi, temples, Noh, crazy back alley markets, and hubby loves video games, Godzilla and Martial arts movies, so this is a good fit for both of us.
Right now I'm waxing between focusing just on Tokyo (I mean you could spend your whole life there and never see half of it) or of spending the bulk of our time there and taking a side trip to Kyoto. From my research, it seems that Kyoto is a lot more expensive travel-wise, but it being considered the cultural capitol of Japan in a lot of aspects really draws me. I don't know yet.
One thing I'm really keen on is possibly using www.airbnb.com to find a place to stay - just renting out someone's empty studio apartment with it's own little kitchen. I much prefer this idea as it is a step away from the tourist route, and I'm always keen to be a bit off the beaten path. Looking at what's available, there's everything from traditional Japanese style places with tatami mats, paper walls and the whole deal, right through to Western standard living spaces. I'll be aiming for a bit in between (my life long arthritis would make sleeping and sitting on the floor too painful over the long haul.
Anyway, yeah, I'm super excited about this. Is it weird that what I'm most looking forward to is riding the subway to Shibuya?
One sad thing - being only 5'3 I won't be able to say "I'm big in Japan." Oh well.
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The place I stayed in Kyoto seemed amazingly cheap, maybe you need to look harder?
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Can you tell me more about your trip wombat? How long were you there? And what were your favorite experiences?
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I was there two weeks but a big chunk of it was spent at an academic conference in Chiba, which is a boring suburb of Tokyo. Fortunately I am so interested in Japan that being able to spend my time going to a suburban shopping mall and trying to shop in Japanese was interesting enough for me.
On the vacation part of the trip I spent a couple days in Kobe because I have a friend there and then almost a week in Kyoto. I stayed in a very small traditional inn that was actually inside Maruyama Park, which is the big park in the center of Kyoto. Just staying there, and eating the amazing traditional breakfast, might actually have been the best part. It turns out that all my life I have wanted to eat giraffe and rice for breakfast. Actually, many of my favorite experiences had to do with food, which I could go into obsessive detail if you like.
I wish I had gotten to spend more time in Tokyo - I managed to, yeah, take the train to Shibuya and go to the one really famous temple and the one store I really needed to go to. But the thing about Kyoto is that you can experience plenty of both modern and traditional Japan. Don't think Kyoto is all temples and suchlike, it is also a big city with tall buildings.
And also I would say, remember that you also only need to go to so many temples. For the average person who isn't an expert on the details, a few of those is enough. I also would not fall all over myself to go on the tour of the imperial palace thingy in Kyoto. Apparently it's hard to get tickets and it wasn't actually more interesting than it would have been to spend more time on a few smaller historic sites, in my opinion. What's more interesting to me are the historic sites that are still part of people's lives, like the temples that are right in the city.
If I had to choose only one between Tokyo and Kyoto I would say go to Kyoto because like I said, you get some of both traditional and modern. But it is so fast to get there on the train, I think it makes sense to spend time in both places.
Sigh, I really need to go back. But without some particular reason to go like the conference it is hard to get off my ass and say right now is the time to go.
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Japan is definitely one of those places I would like to go just so I can eat their food. Lucky Peach (David Chang's new food mag) has lots of interesting stuff about their trips to Japan in each of the first two issues--the first issue is all about ramen, and in the second issue there's a piece about their experiences in Kyoto.
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This website is good for some offbeat stuff about travel in Japan.
http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo (http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo)
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Thanks wombat - that is a great link. The thing about going to Tokyo and Kyoto is that I know I will be happy to just be there. We could go with no plans, and I would be happy to leave the room we sleep in and be out all day just exploring with no itinerary. Personally, being an urbanite at heart, when it comes to Tokyo, just being in one of the greatest cities in the world is enough on its own.
I really would love to hear more about the food. Japanese food is one of my favorite cuisines, and the sushi I ate in Jakarta was so beautiful I could have wept, and it certainly made me dream of actually eating in Japan. That said, my eating experiences revolve around mostly Westernized versions of maki, teriyaki dishes, sashimi, and tuna/avocado/sesame salad.
We're talking about going around our September wedding anniversary, and I just found out the one of the Holy Grails of gaming conventions (http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/english/) happens within days of our anniversary. When I tell my husband this, he may actually have a geek-gasm. I am so excited about this for him, and he doesn't even know it.
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I totally agree that just walking around either of those cities would be enough to keep you entertained all day.
I didn't actually eat a lot of sushi there because I wanted to concentrate on dishes that I can't get in the US. One of the most amazing meals was at an all-tofu restaurant. They use all the parts of the tofu-making process, tofu skin, soymilk, anything you can make a soybean into, and it's like nothing you've had anywhere else. If you think you don't like tofu, or even if you do, it's pretty much irrelevant, because most of the dishes didn't have anything you'd recognize as tofu in them anyway. Even my friend's son, who insisted he only likes Western food, not Japanese, loved it. Even a stubborn teenager had to admit it was amazing.
Also, can I say again - breakfast. Even Japanese don't eat traditional Japanese breakfast that much anymore, and more's the pity, so you might have to make an effort to get it, but it's worth it. I have never liked breakfast foods, and finding a culture where basically they had dinner for breakfast - glorious. Rice, giraffe, little side dishes, miso soup - so much better than breakfast food. What I am really crazy about are all those side dishes that they give you a little bit of. So breakfast was great, and also, I could go into a supermarket and get a prepared bento for like five bucks with rice and giraffe and those little side dishes, and I'd be happy as a clam.
On the other hand there are also certain totally genius Japanese adaptations of Western cuisine. Especially soft ice cream. Green tea flavor, and even better, black sesame flavor. Amazing.
One thing to know about Japanese restaurants is that it's very common to have places that specialize in a single dish: just grilled eel, just a certain kind of noodles, just rice casserole, etc.
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One thing to know about Japanese restaurants is that it's very common to have places that specialize in a single dish: just grilled eel, just a certain kind of noodles, just rice casserole, etc.
That's a thing they mentioned in Lucky Peach. A restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory with a huge-ass menu is unheard of in Japan. Many more places do one thing and strive to do it absurdly well. So when dining out, you often decide what you want, THEN you decide where to go. On their ramen rampage they discussed one chef who has done nothing but make two kinds of soup, day in and day out, for like 30 years.
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I didn't actually eat a lot of sushi there because I wanted to concentrate on dishes that I can't get in the US. One of the most amazing meals was at an all-tofu restaurant. They use all the parts of the tofu-making process, tofu skin, soymilk, anything you can make a soybean into, and it's like nothing you've had anywhere else. If you think you don't like tofu, or even if you do, it's pretty much irrelevant, because most of the dishes didn't have anything you'd recognize as tofu in them anyway. Even my friend's son, who insisted he only likes Western food, not Japanese, loved it. Even a stubborn teenager had to admit it was amazing.
What I got from this is that the Japanese are so hardcore, they use all the parts of the tofu.
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They know the source isn't soybeans, as we're all led to believe, but the wily tofudebeast. Don't tell PETA.
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Wild Tofu
(http://www.botjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/tofu.jpg)
the vegans are going to be pissed!
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No, no, no
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/slothgoth/tofudebeest.jpg)
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Thanks for that cartoon. I had forgotten how much I love Gary Larsen.
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Tofutti Break! (http://youtu.be/e5i6BHBuqxE?t=2m21s)
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Damn you wombat. Now all I can think about is Japan! It is so inexpensive, that I feel like I'm going crazy. If we were to fly out next week (which we can't for a number of reasons) it would be less than $4000 for both of us for two weeks, and that's if we were to stay at the fancy four star hotel they filmed "Lost in Translation" in.
It would be more expensive to spend two weeks in Montreal in a Super 8 for god sake.
One thing though, I'm starting to think two weeks will be too long. Last time I was away from home for two weeks, at around day 10 I was just done - not that I didn't love being on vacation, but 10 days of being super stimulated and glassy-eyed was about enough for me when it comes to my capacity to process new environments before getting worn out. So I'm starting to re-think the time frame. Maybe 10 days instead? Then again, this sort of a trip of a life time, so I'm not sure.
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Not sure how this would affect your decision about the length of the trip, and I guess it's a couple hours less bad for you, but it takes a LONG time to get over the jet lag and acclimate to the time in Japan. I don't remember exactly how long but I know it was quite a few days. Personally I would go for two weeks if I could to make sure I was, like, awake on a normal time schedule for ten days of it.
Damn, I wish I could convince someone to go with me. None of my friends want to go to Japan and I am too much of a wimp to go alone. And my former student who lives in Tokyo and could be convinced to shepherd me around a lot is on a two year sabbatical in BOSTON. I need to find out when she goes back.
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the vegans are going to be pissed!
Especially when they find out that they hunt them by stampeding a herd of the poor little creatures over the nearest cliff.
Of course, they bounce right back up when they hit the ground because they're made of tofu, but nevertheless...
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It's true about the jetlag, although in an odd way I sort of enjoyed it when I was in Indonesia. Being somewhere so very different from home, it seems to me that things really should feel upside down and inside out for a few days. The jetlag was much harsher coming home though, but mostly be cause there was a total swing from one extreme of the temperature scale to another, which was super violent on my body.
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That's what happens to me when I work nights every other hitch. The plus is that I'm only actually on a plane for maybe six hours, broken up into a couple of flights. This time of year, though, it's a hundred degree temperature swing combined with a complete flip-flop of waking hours.
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*Reads thread, dies from wanting to go to Japan too much*
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Oh man. See, I am dying from wanting to go to Japan while knowing I will go, which is so very rad. I sometimes lose sleep over thinking about Japan. Fuck yeah!
Bandai Museum: We open daily basically but close for certain reasons. (http://www.bandai-museum.jp/index-english.html)
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I'd like to point out here that the Tokyo police department have a cartoon mascot.
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Everything in Japan has a cartoon mascot. This excessively long article (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20110830zg.html) talks about a whole lot of weird mascots for government departments, for example:
The Okayama Bar Association recently rolled out Tasuppi, a slightly bizarre-looking creature with a peach-shaped head (Okayama being famous for peaches), atop which are perched the scales of justice. Tasuppi's name effectively means "Help Peach," derived from the Japanese for "help" and the English for "peach." The Kyoto Bar Association also just introduced a character devoted to lobbying for greater transparency in the criminal justice system, specifically the full recording of police interrogations.
And earthquake evacuation routes have a catgiraffe mascot (http://altjapan.typepad.com/my_weblog/files/namazu.jpg) because catgiraffe are associated in folklore with earthquakes. And here (http://altjapan.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/04/tsunami-characters.html) is a fascinating post about adorable tsunami characters. You should read that guy's whole book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811856747/httpaltjapant-20 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811856747/httpaltjapant-20)
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I guess you could always relax on the beach at St. Maarten (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfQwDizpRo&feature=player_embedded).
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Tofutti Break! (http://youtu.be/e5i6BHBuqxE?t=2m21s)
Oh man, that's good shit.
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Can I put this here?
Would it make sense to go to Hawaii and just lie on the beach, drink, eat sushi, and have sex? I mean, and not go check out volcanoes and Pearl Harbor and shit? Because I'm leaning very much toward the first option.
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My philosophy on vacations is, if it feels good, do it. If you need a lyin'-on-the-sand, drinkin'-eatin'-and-fuckin' vacation right now, by all means, do those things in the best place you can afford to go.
But have all the info you'd need to take those side trips if you want. 'Cause in my experience, when it's neither dinner time nor happy hour nor business time, sitting around waiting for a recharge can get mighty boring.
Then again, I'm one of those can't-sit-still types who overplans everything. But just 'cause you do the pre-vacation information gathering and print out a list of sights to see if the spirit moves you doesn't mean you gotta actually get out of the sand and see them, you know?
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My philosophy on vacations is, if it feels good, do it.
It's so hard for some people to get this.
I've never been to Hawaii, and I have to admit that while I'd like to go someday, it's pretty far down on the list. But at the risk of sounding like an asshole, I have no desire to visit Pearl Harbor. Or even spend time on Oahu. I'm fairly certain I would spend most of the trip on Maui. And that I'd almost exclusively lie on the beach, drink, eat sushi, have sex and smoke weed. So, I endorse the first option.
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You really don't want to see just one volcano? I mean, how often do you get to see a volcano?
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Can he see any from the beach?
Also, he's not too far from a whole bunch of them (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Volcanoes).
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Also, he's not too far from a whole bunch of them (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Volcanoes).
Well, ok, you've got a point there.
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Yeah, I live a stones throw away from a volcano. And I used to work in a location that has 57 active volcanoes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands).
Mainly it's just that I sort of dread going on vacations because I really don't want to go somewhere else to begin with, because that's all I do, month after month. When I get off work I just want to go home and chill. I guess I feel that the next best thing is to go somewhere else and chill harder.
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Chill so hard.
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Yeah, I live a stones throw away from a volcano. And I used to work in a location that has 57 active volcanoes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands).
Mainly it's just that I sort of dread going on vacations because I really don't want to go somewhere else to begin with, because that's all I do, month after month. When I get off work I just want to go home and chill. I guess I feel that the next best thing is to go somewhere else and chill harder.
My hubby's work is the same, so when it comes to vacations he typically just wants to go somewhere to relax and do nothing. He's still on board for Tokyo though. It's going to be a last minute adventure depending on my physical state and his career situation.
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Also, not too much background but I am an idiot and don't understand Hawaii. I am not going to the big island. I am flying into Honolulu and staying on that, different, island.
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There are like ten sushi places within a couple of blocks of our hotel.
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Hey Wombat, we really are going to Tokyo as well! Hubby is confirming if he can get the time off on Tuesday and then I will book everything.
We're planning for 10 nights and staying in the area of Shubuya station from the 20th - 30th. I decided not to do Kyoto this time around. I think that would be a great trip either when we have a family or are retired, where as I want to take advantage of walking all day and exploring little corners at random, which we can't do so much when we have kids or are too old for my creaky joints to take it. There's just so much to see in Tokyo!
Do our times overlap? PM me if so. If not, please don't hesitate to post some info on the "must see's" after your trip. I. Can't. Wait.
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I am waiting on line at customs right now. First tip, bring food and water, line is two hours long.
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Wow, I've never had to wait that long. 15 minutes, tops. Although I always fly in/out of Narita, so YMMV.
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This was Narita. My friend swears it is not always like that, but the same thing happened last time I was here.
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This (http://vimeo.com/27272353#at=0) is why I want to go to Japan.
Also Alaska, France, Austria, Wyoming, British Columbia, Vancouver and Patagonia.
Yes I am that guy who posts nothing but skiing videos on facebook. I'm sorry.
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Wow, that looks really fun.
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It turned out to be over $1000 cheaper to book a week later instead, which was fine with us, so I did the booking this morning and we're headed out at the end of the month. I'm so excited I'm vibrating.
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Anybody know anything about Cleveland? 'Cause I'm going for four days at the end of the month.
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A guy with glasses once told me Cleveland rocks.
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A guy with glasses once told me Cleveland rocks.
That has to be some kind of mistake. A mistake by the lake, if you will.
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I just booked the boarding kennel for our dog, and I feel so damn guilty. I really do wish we could take him with us. I know he's going to give me that look.
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Anybody know anything about Cleveland? 'Cause I'm going for four days at the end of the month.
I saw a guy jacking off while driving his car on the freeway there one time.
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I saw a guy jacking off while driving his car on the freeway there one time.
at least one dude who was in cleveland that one time is a carjacker.
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Another important point about japan - no free wifi. So make sure your hotel has internet.
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Really? I guess I'm spoiled by near-ubiquitous free wifi here in the West.
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Cleveland kind of blows as a tourist town, but it's the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is neat. If you've got time for a jaunt to Akron/Canton (about 30 minutes south of The Cleve), you can see the Pro Football HoF as well.
If you want to get up with A-Dawg via Facebook, that's his neck of the woods these days. He'd probably be down for lunch or a beer while you're there.
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Another important point about japan - no free wifi. So make sure your hotel has internet.
It does. But really? Not even at Starbucks?
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So far even at starbucks what people can access is wifi from the provider they have an account with. Which everyone does so it works for them.
Another note, don't forget yoursunglasses. No one wears them here so you can't just run into the drugstore and buy yourself a cheap pair.
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So, Japan is fantastic on so many levels. Today we hit up the Maidreamin' maid cafe I mentioned elsewhere, which was... odd and worthwhile in a weird sort of way. We also found our way to a couple old-school arcades and played a few games. Hubby won me a fantastic plastic dead frog flash light in a claw game.
Later, we decided to check out Harajuku on a whim since the expected storm hadn't yet arrived. The typhoon had been downgraded to a tropical storm and was expected at around 4pm instead of 1pm. We were in the crush of shoppers in Takeshita Street in Harajuku, and it was super crowded.
Here is a shot I took as we entered the street: (http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j362/SideShowMelanie/Harajuku.jpg)
So it was wall to wall people, but everyone is just fantastically polite. There was no pushing or shoving, and only the slightest, most minimal amount of brushing up against when absolutely necessary. Just hoards and hoards of people. Then suddenly some folks with whistles came and had everyone clear to the sides and this happened. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvbAER8dy6c&feature=plcp) You'll have to forgive the shitty video. We were so taken by surprise that I whipped out my phone without much thought to capture it. What were we seeing? I still have no idea. There were a lot of bare-ish bums, and lots of happy chanting. The people watching seemed mostly unimpressed, but I thought it was beautiful how joyful they all were.
After that we headed back for the hotel because it was getting overcast and the "tropical storm" was clearly approaching by the look of the clouds, but we got drawn off our route back when I heard some Rockabilly music and had to check it out. Needless to say, it was worth the minor detour to see these folks in action. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lChh897FAsU&feature=plcp) I could have watched them all day, but it was clearly going to storm and both hubby and I had reached our limit for novelty and new experiences for the day, so we headed back to the hotel and got caught in a downpour. Totally drenched, hubby is napping, and I need to put my feet up so bad. Our pattern seems to be: go out and take in a whole bunch, head to hotel for rest, head out again, get a good sleep and do it again. It has been beyond fantastic so far.
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Needless to say, it was worth the minor detour to see these folks in action. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lChh897FAsU&feature=plcp)
This is what I like about Japanese culture. It's how they'll latch on to some aspect of American culture and take it to the extreme. For instance your rockabilly dancers with insanely tall Pompadours. Apparently these guys are called Black Shadow. Check out their leader's 2' tall Pompadour (http://youtu.be/MhtLGcDASrY).
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Hey, who's that blond guy who's getting to help carry the portable shrine?
Your pattern is a good one, the only thing wrong with my awesome inn was that its location made it impractical to go back for a lie-down and go out again. I had to do stuff like try to catch a nap in a shopping mall like this guy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wombatarama/7997760915/).
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If you like overwhelming fanatacism for old American cultural stuff, check out Real McCoy's. (http://www.realmccoys.co.jp/) You can get your hubby a $2000 James-Dean-in-Rebel-Without-a-Cause jacket.
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Paul, you're right, a couple of the guys had "Black Shadow" jackets. I'm really digging the contrast between being reserved and deep genuine enthusiasm that we've been encountering.
Also, wombat, that picture is just fantastic! If I'm not mistaken "Persistant Vegitative State" is a band name, I think.
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I love Tokyo in the rain. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyYHfR5K7Qk&feature=plcp) Had a great day out and about in the rain, checking out Meiji temple, shopping and just really digging it.
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That's a lot of fuck*ng people.
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The thing is, having crossed through the crossing everyday for a week now, there have been times when it is far busier. What I've observed, is how little actual physical contact there is. People go to effort to give each other space and move in a manner that doesn't cause inconvenience. I've been in situations in my home community with far less people that I had considered "crowded" where shoving, bumping into and otherwise just not working in a way that is considerate of others is the norm.
I first noticed it when we landed. Off the huge plane of 300 passengers or so, when we got to the luggage claim, I thought "oh great, here we go." But no, not a single person bumped or shoved me. Then again, the first time at the crossing I thought "this is going to be unpleasant," but again, no shoving, not even the slightest brushing against. And again, on a crowded train full of way more people that I've ever shared public transport with, nothing, just complete consideration. Anyone with a backpack switched it to be worn on the front to assure they didn't smack anyone, the phones are off, no one is eating anything... I'm really, really going to miss this when I go back home.
One story I've got to share is the really difficult situation we had today with the train. I won't get into all the details of traveling to Kawagoe, but to summarize: we were told by the lady at the rail's tourism booth that we would only need to take one train, for 60 minutes, but it basically took three trains, a lot of doubling back and over two hours to get there. Needless to say on the return I was on edge, and hubby doesn't like to ask for help, so it was on me. We got the train, clearly labelled, that was to take us back. Then it stopped, almost all the passengers got off, and I got nervous. Hubby felt certain that since the sign said it was going to take us to our destination, that must be so, but there's plenty of over-the-intercom announcements in Japanese that make me doubt this. So we're sitting there, and the train is not moving, and I think it can't hurt to ask. I see a guy of around 50 with his wife, chatting with what looks like his dad. I had previously smiled at his dad because I thought it was pretty cool to se a guy in his 70's using an iPod. "Shibuya?" I ask, pointing at the floor of the train we're on. To my shock (and this is rare) he replies in English. "Shibuya? Yes, today it's okay. Today it go to Shibuya." The stress he puts on "today" is a little worrisome. "Stay?" I ask. "Yes, you can sit down." So we sit down, but then it's clear that the man, his wife and and his father are debating this and are concerned. They ask another passenger who responds in a detached, minimal sort of way. Something about varying schedules. They're clearly doubtful. I get up. He gets up. "You wait here" he says, and he runs from the train. He runs one way, and then his dad gets off and runs the opposite way. His wife, who is wearing a medical mask, has worried eyes. His dad gets back, but him and his son's wife are now stressed out. The guy runs back, "other train, you need to come" he says in an urgent tone. All of us, including his wife and dad run. We run what is about a block, in silence, with hand gestures, down a flight of stairs, up a flight of stairs, down another, to a train that is waiting. It then becomes clear the guy who is helping us has asked this train to wait for us. He escorts hubby and I and tells us this is the train we need and that we may sit, his wife and dad appear and are seated too. He has a fairly emphatic argument with the conductor (again, from my limited experience, it seems really rare behavior to see someone have an outburst in Japan on a train), he comes over and gently assures us that this train will take us to our stop, and shows us on a map that we are nine stops away from our destination. I thank him effusively. I can't thank him enough. I say it in English then in my limited Japanese. We were so far away from where we need to be, the epitome of lost, and he's the only reason we're not still there now. He sits with his family at the opposite end of the train from us, and at a later point he goes over to the conductor at another stop and is apologizing to him. I smile and nod, he nods back. Shortly after, without any indication, I notice he and his wife and dad are gone. I'm pretty sure the whole family changed trains for us, that they took the extra excursion on the extra train to assure that we would find our way. What kindness. I'm humbled because I know he went far beyond the call to help us, some wayward foreigners, to be 100% certain we were (quite literally) on the right track.
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There was an epsiode where I walked 20 minutes straight uphill into the middle of nowhere in 95 degrees and 100% humidity because I'd walked right past the museum I was looking for. I finally stopped a man on a bicycle. Since I didn't seem to be understanding him, he took out a piece of paper and wrote a map. He seemed concerned that I still didn't seem to be understanding him even with the map, but it was because I couldn't believe I had walked right past the place. Finally I turned around and headed back down the hill and he rode off.
Fifteen minutes later I was back on the main road in front of the museum, finishing my drink, and from around the other corner comes the man on the bicycle, waving and pointing at the museum to make sure I didn't walk past it like an idiot again. Like your story, this was the worst moment of my trip and he went out of his way to make sure he'd saved me from it.
Sometimes actually I was a little hesistant to ask for directions, because people were so likely to walk you all the way there even if they hadn't seemed to be headed that way.
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You know who really loves to give directions? New Yorkers. Ask a New Yorker how to get somewhere on the subway and you'll probably find yourself in the middle of a bunch of people arguing about it, because everyone thinks they know the best way to go there.
I suspect Japanese might spend a lot of time giving directions to other Japanese as well, because their bizarre system of street addresses means that having an address isn't much help in actually finding a place. Although these days I suppose they can use their smartphones to help.
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My old roomie who is from Brooklyn said he hated being asked for directions, because for some reason he would always freeze up and end up telling them to go the wrong way.
I don't know if I have ever been somewhere so crowded that there was pushing and shoving. One time in Paris I couldn't get off the train because it was so crowded that noone could move. At the next stop I kind of lunged in between people until I got off, so I guess I was the shover in that situation. Got dirty looks as if I should have magically teleported through them.
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I suspect Japanese might spend a lot of time giving directions to other Japanese as well, because their bizarre system of street addresses means that having an address isn't much help in actually finding a place.
This. THIS. I love how walk-able most things are here in Tokyo, but knowing something is in the genereal vicinity of a certain train station is often not enough. I've had a couple experiences where I've had the address and been unable to find the place despite it, even with help from locals and no, a smart phone, or atleast me using Google Maps in English often isn't enough.
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I don't know if I have ever been somewhere so crowded that there was pushing and shoving. One time in Paris I couldn't get off the train because it was so crowded that noone could move. At the next stop I kind of lunged in between people until I got off, so I guess I was the shover in that situation. Got dirty looks as if I should have magically teleported through them.
I was once on a commuter train in Houston and it was so crowded I could hardly breathe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/4398592847/).
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I heard somewhere that the street numbers in Tokyo were given out chronologically. No idea whether that is true.
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I believe it used to be done like that but maybe not anymore. In any case there are definitely not consecutive house numbers, and while the big streets have names, the street name is not part of an address.
Ha - here's a helpful description: "With the exception of major roads, Japanese streets are not named. Instead, cities and towns are subdivided into areas, subareas and blocks, similar to the insulae system of the Roman empire."
And this link (http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/addresses.html) has a chart that is equally "helpful."
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So I went to Osaka and Kyoto for the weekend. Osaka Castle was the highlight, that place is one of the greatest things I've ever seen. Also: Airbnb (https://www.airbnb.com/) - not a bad idea
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Oh, I didn't know they included Japan, that is great to know.
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This is a travel-related post, and a travel-related thread, so let's zombie-fy it.
I have a minor ethical dilemma, and y'all are usually pretty good at helping me resolve those.
You're familiar with hotel loyalty point programs, right? I've been saving my Hilton points for something like five years, in the hopes of blowing them all at once on a big trip. Specifically, Disney Freaking World. The trip I had in mind required 180,000 points, so I save them up and finally got there about a month ago. But when I go to book the room, I learned that Hilton has all kinds of devalued their points program, and the stay I want will actually run 240,000 points, and oh shit so much for that idea.
HOWEVER. They do have a handicapped-accessible room available, for significantly fewer points--only 150K, less than I thought in the first place. And when we arrive we could say "We don't actually need the handicapped room, you can put us wherever." Of course, if I book that room I might be keeping it from some one who might actually need it.
So. Dick move? Or just doing what I have to do to take my family to see the penis?
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Holyshit is that a gift what keeps giving.
Oh sweet merciful crap.
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I was half listening to a radio show yesterday about how you get totally different deals on hotel through their websites and if you call them on the phone. I say call and explain the situation and keep nagging till you get kicked upstairs to someone who can make you a deal.
If they won't, I'm not sure what's wrong with booking the cheaper room even if it has features you don't need. It's not your fault if they make those rooms cheaper and then don't provide enough of them for everyone who needs/wants one. Is that a dickish attitude? I feel like this more like a bathroom stall than a parking space. There is a rule against using the handicapped parking space, but there is no rule against using the handicapped stall in a restroom, and there's no reason not to unless there is a person in a wheelchair in line right behind you.
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I thought the exact same thing as Wombat-- it's like using the handicapped stall.
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I've barely used my HHonors membership, but I know with Marriott I get an automatic room upgrade when I book with points. Maybe Hilton does the same? Either way, I see no ethical conflict in booking the handicap room.
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Wombat! I have a FB friend asking the following:
"I'm looking for hotel recommendations for Tokyo for December 20-21. I'm doing a milage run to qualify for top tier status, using a flight pass that's about to expire. All I know is the one must-shop store is the Pokemon shop which is re-opening in Ikebukuro."
And I immediately thought of you. Suggestions?
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I always stay at the same very small place and I just checked their website and they are full. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to someone who can afford to fly that much anyway, though. It's very modest.