Marutani Hotel Yokohama

... the best in all of Japan. Many of the restaurants have been owned by families for generations. We wandered around a little while to see what it looked like and then we finally decided to try some ramen. The first shop we tried was Komuraski from the Kumamoto region. The category was "tonkotsu" or salt based. We both ordered one with pork and two types of mushrooms (or at least we thought they were both ...

... down to the local "eat street" near the train station, on what was the most pleasant afternoon, temperature wise, that we have had while in Japan. I was very keen to try the tempura restaurant next door to our favorite curry house, but the restaurant was absolutely packed to the rafters, with more groups of people waiting outside. A sure fire sign that the food there is good, but we couldn't afford to sit around for an hour or ...

... yes and asked one of the mothers to take us down while she locked the rooms. Well Kouta's mother (one of the kids that I really liked...well I like all the kids;) along with some other mothers and all there kids ended up walking with us to the donut shop! Haha. Then we all decided to eat together on the bench. THe kids ran around playing while we all talked. Well, I don't know how Sayaka found out or what happened exactly but I think Sayaka told ...

... only a couple of kilometers from the station, but I wanted to take a metro. And inspite of every guide book I read all the signs in the station ( and also in every place where tourists move around) were in English. I had studied Japanese then 2 and a half year, but know only 2 writing systems out of 3. ( That is hirakana and katakana) So I quite easy found the right line to my destination Ningyoocho. I was a little bit early in the Hotel Horidome Villa ...

... was pleased to see us again. She told me that I was welcome to see them again. She gave me their phone number. Now that I remember his full story from my brother's book, his absurdity became clearer to me. He was one of four or five co-founders of a photography magazine in the early 1970s. The magazine was shortlived, but its influence outlived. The co-founders went their ways after the magazine ...

... cracker that had me searching for something to drink as soon as I was out the door. Next to Snoopy Town was Harajuku street. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Harajuku, it is the capitol of fashion for the more "eccentric" Japanese youth. Harajuku street consists of shop after shop catering to these youths, with the fashion ranging from natty to bizarre. I visited shop after shop until I found a decent hat, and a good deal on a pair of brown Puma sneakers. Even ...

... Tsurumi River was once ranked the third most polluted river in Japan. The riverbank is even less colourful. The water is often grey and shallow. You see few fish in the river, but many anglers trying their luck in futility. The riverbank is covered with concrete and pavement - there is some greenery on the side of the pavement. What makes it pleasant is that it is free of motorised traffic and traffic lights. You see people walking, commuting on bicycles, walking ...

... was my last day working with Mikey, as he finishes next week, but Im gonna be away, so we went out for drinks after work. I was meant to go out afterwards with a girl from IMTRAV but (me being me) got a bit emotional and had to go home instead! I got up the next day and packed and organised my Japan rail pass (which I had left til the last minute) and then headed to Dee's house where she had planned a girly night of spaghetti bolognaise and Dirty Dancing! The ...

... what to expect so was pleasantly surprised. It was a very big park, encompassing a zoo, a shrine, a baseball field, a big lake blanketed by some kind of water-flower, and lots of homeless people. Ueno park is where a lot of homeless people live, and when walking around you can see their blue tents dotted about. After I was content I'd seen all the park had to offer, I headed back to the hostel ...

... de onde pode ser visto, nos raros dias de excepcional visibilidade. O Fuji-San (Monte Fuji) e' um simbolo do Japao, em razao de suas dimensoes e da grande simetria. Para o xintoismo, religiao tradicional do Japao, o Monte e' sagrado. Cerca de 200.000 pessoas sobem o Fuji todos os anos (no verao), sendo apenas 30% estrangeiros. Trata-se, na realidade, de um vulcao ativo, embora com baixo risco de erupcao. A ultima ocorreu em 1707, durante o ...