Hotel Jal City Kannai Yokohama

... the last turn and decided to take a guess and it turned out that it was right there! We've been having lots of luck in that manner. When we first went in they talked about the history of ramen and then we went downstairs to the lower levels which housed the rest of the museum. It was set in 1958 Tokyo with different store fronts and areas. The museum had 9 different ramen restaurants that were selected and ...

... including an iced coffee dispenser. The soft drinks were standard fare, except the lemonade was pink, and tasted nothing like the lemonade we were used to. After lunch we had planned to go for a walk through the bayside amusement park, but were were basically all too tired and full. We jumped on the train, and got a direct route back to Shin-Yokohama station which is where our hotel is located. After afternoon rests, we ...

... that have donuts that are not too sweet but just right!) ---side note: Japanese sweets tend to be not too sweet but just the right flavor, very light whether it be a cake, cookie, or donut. American cakes and donuts can be too sweet at times. Mister donut has the perfect donuts, so whenever we can we find one and buy a donut (Chris's motto: "Stressed? Have a donut"). Ok so anyway we asked Sayaka sensei if she knew any mister donuts around. She ...

... at a local station in Ikebu-something and walked to our Ryokan (guesathouse). By the way, it was bloody freezing, and my first thought was '****, I don't think I packed enough warm clothes. We managed to check in just before midnight, and get a hot shower too. Our room seemed to me typically Japanese, small, floored with Tatami mats, and with two comfy futons on the floor for sleeping. It also had a small wooden table, a heater (yay) and a paper window shade. We had ...

... developing any more than he told me on these topics, just as soon as he mentioned, he dropped the topics. And at odd times he commented on flowers on the pavement underneath a lamp post. In a nutshell, he was not able to hold a coherent conversation. Eager to go home I was constantly reminding him of the curfew and I told him that I was getting cold. I escorted him back to his house at about 7.45. The ...

... t pay attention to the signs, which thankfully are in English as well as Japanese. Station employees are always helpful, and will give you directions to whichever train or platform you are looking for. "Sumimasen, Marunouchi-sen, doko desu ka?"-"excuse me, the Marunouchi platform, where is it?". You will be directed to the nearest sign, following the signs will take you to where you want to go. Today I wasn't taking a train, I just needed to pass through the station to get to the Tokia ...

... like myself, this is far too late. I decided that it would be better and cheaper to run to the closest train station, hop on the train, and run again to work. This was a great idea. I am quite grateful to my colleagues to let me get changed at work. By Japanese standards, this is like having cake and eating it. Running to the station is surprisingly pleasant. I run along 'dote' - riverbank. The river itself is quite uneventful. Hayabuchi River is a tributary to Tsurumi ...

... of cooked mackerel on rice that wasn't too bad. Chris got some of his favorite chicken on a stick and we had some soft ice cream as well! When the championship match was ready to go the seats were full and the crowd was rowdy. This was a good match with lots of theatrics. When sumo was over we got back on the train and decided to check out the Shinjuku district which is also young and trendy like Shibuya and known for having lots of ...

Yesterday afternoon we made our way back home to San Jose. Coming back has been somewhat surreal and out of the daily routine of catching planes and trains that my brother and I endured for the past two months. Anyhow, let me take you back to Tokyo for a few paragraphs. Our last two stops in Korea and Japan were the perfect transition from our time spent in the more underdeveloped countries. Both countries proved to be a decompression chamber of sorts ...

... Quick was very fast, I think some couple were even doing some Collegiate Shag. This danced caused the most collisions. The costumes during the Latin dance were interesting. They were very showy and sexy. I tried to get some video footage, but it might not be close enough to see a lot of detail. I had a great time though. It went from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., but Antja and I left at like 5 p.m. Enjoy the pictures!