Richmond Hotel Hamamatsu

... before last week, that I went to Karate, was the night before the Typhoon. I don't know why I went. It was dangerous, no one showed up, it was raining cats and dogs (never used that before, but '*******' just wouldn't have cut it), and I showed up. Even the main sensei, whom I was expecting his own Karate-gi from, didn't show.<br>Anyhow, it was a wonderful experience. Before and after the session, there is always about 30 seconds of meditation ...

... people who had (and were probably allowed) tattoos. They ranged from the symbol of strength, a giant Golfish (Koei), to dragons, famous samurai battles, portraits of Geishas, the such. It was a symbol of being badass to have a tattoo. Even today, some respect comes from going through the pain (and risk) of being tattooed.<br><br>So what kept me at bay was probably my first experience at the Koei Plaza in Tokyo, the day I arrived. I knew it was going to be a ...

... rarity in Japan I suppose, and did my best on a busted up foot that I've been nursing for two weeks (while on this topic, I recommend to all foreigners in Japan to immediately ask for 'wide' fits when buying new runners; TWO WEEKS...).<br><br>Although it definitely was as bad an experience as I describe it, I think that's what gets people hooked: bragging rights. It's like Robin Williams' stint on how the Scots came up with ...

... It was scary. I had these Karate fathers CARRY their kids in one hand, and drop-fly-kick anything that moved around them. I had bruises! But I didn't pop my balloon.<br><br>There were other races, of course. Relay races, 100m dashes for the kids, a massive 60+ tug of war, and many, many others competitions. I was exhausted by the end of the day, having spent the night before drinking in Toei with some of my buddies at the local bar (that's another story, oh boy ...

... I came across on the middle of this road. I saw one pair of red eyes glint back at me in the darkness reflected by my headlights, glaring at me with pure hatred (as much hatred that is possible in a jackrabbit). "Jackrabbit?" I hear you say. Yes, and how could I tell this? Well, I'm not sure who ran away faster, but I could swear it was the jackrabbit who was on top who ...

... not for this area). It followed the standard format: festival stands and decorations set up, ranging from drink-tent with soups, to toriniku (fried chicken) and takoyaki (fried octopus balls); early-morning drinking, usually made possible by trips to the liquor store the night before, as well as stocking the temple with its home-brew sake-barrel, music, costumes and festival outfits, and, of course, fireworks.<br><br>At this particular festival, the only ritual we saw was the ...

... at a more relaxed setting, that anything evolving around school has to be exemplary. The students would not know what to make of a teacher who is, well, still a bit of a kid himself; a teacher who likes to be different, and stand out; a teacher who won't just pretend that he has something to do when he doesn't, but will try to make the best out of his free time.<br>Maybe I am still a little bitter about it, but that's just one of the major differences in Japanese and ...

... were weird, googly-eyed for my fellow female classmates, and always carried some kind of stink, whether it was alcohol or pot-related. Sometimes, you meet a cool cat, but he's only cool because he's giving you attention and some corrupt kind of wisdom. Kudos Japan.<br>So, once a year, my community throws a "Cleaning Day", where all the students, most of their families, and many others in the vicinity get together and...well, clean. It's mostly an outdoor thing, something that gets ...

... this time was that I had a much better rod. My vice-principal makes the hooks himself, and the rod was in pristeen condition. All five hooks were there.<br>So this time, I managed to catch 10 (where only one was a net-caught fish!). With my newly founded bragging-rights, I set off that day on a full stomach of delicious and freshly made Onigiri (surprise-center wrapped with rice and Nori, dried seaweed ...

So after finally leaving Tokyo, I decided to have a night in Yokohama on the way to Yumi`s (it was supposed to have been two nights, but I guess plans are always susceptible to change when there are cute Canadian girls hanging around!). As it happened, one night was enough to see the major sights and I managed to squeeze a lot in... The hostel I was staying at was a little bit off the beaten track, but an old Japanese man practically dragged me to the building when he saw me ...