Shin-Yokohama Kokusai Hotel

... before hopping on another bus to the Waikiki beach. Once there, I grabbed a biscuit from McDonalds and experienced what felt like the biggest language barrier that I have had so far on trip. The woman taking my order could not decipher my Southern accent and from the look on her face you would have though I was speaking Chinese! Eventually I got my correct order and then headed off to look for a hotel for the night with the girls. We eventually ended up at the ...

... use our imaginations to enjoy, because they were probably curled up in their air conditioned pens in the back of their enclosures staying out of the heat. Onwards, through the bird exhibits, which, lets be honest, nobody really cares about. Yep, great. Birds. Moving right along. There were a couple of animals I'd never seen before, such as a "bush dog" which ran around in a pack and looked like a cross ...

... and yes it involves a lot of jumping. Poor Chris was a real sport today. He was really sick and still sang and jumped around with the kids. I have a lot of respect for him. I was feeling kind of sick at first, but it's funny because as soon as I started to play with the kids and stuff, I felt better. Kids are my remedy:) So Chris told a story with felts about the boy with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. I translated to the kids and found myself to be pretty enthusiastic. I ...

... in the cafe and then Cameron tried to impress me with his language skills. He planned to order some hot chocolates from the waitress. I was eagerly awaiting to hear how to say this in Japanese. When the lady came over he simply asked for 'Hoto Chocolato'. Very funny. Anyway, sucked in because that didn't actually work and we got coffee. Aparantly they have upgraded to 'Hoto Coco'. We headed back to Tokyo Central area to skim through a couple more tourist must ...

... an infinetely nicer area. Of course with this status is the darker side of Japan's past during WWII when, amongst other things, it was then obliterated by the Americans & had to be rebuilt. The harbour area is without doubt a very tranquil & beatutiful stretch incorporating Yamashita Park which has as its backdrop the impressive Yokohama Marine Tower which (i've just read) is the tallest lighthouse in the world! Coming back down to earth you can mill ...

... that), was interrupted by extremely loud French teenagers who dominated our entire floor. Between the noise and the time difference, we were unable to sleep past 4:30am. Phil and I had the bright idea to get up and head to the Tsukiji market (fish market). We showered in the shared shower on our floor. Good water pressure and large shower room, but the shower would shut off every 15 seconds, and you must push a button to restart it (this kinda ...

... self so much so that people allow themselves to be selfish and not worry about the people in need or respond to crisis. Why? Because they do not want to get into trouble by doing something not their own business. Self-initiative to keep harmony or to keep a sense of community may be lacking in Japan. Again, a small example might illustrate the case. The train PA system reminds passengers not to extend or cross legs because of potential problems to other passengers ...

... with a group from school. Tonight after class we headed back to the room to change, stopping for some sushi to go for Jen and some pork and rice to go for Chris. We decided to try out the infamous Rappongi district. This place is kind of like Chippewa, known for obnoxious bars but everyone seems to hang out there all the time anyhow. We decided to give it a try since it was close to our apartment and we could take a cab home if we chose to stay out past midnight when ...

... a breath of fresh air! Cynical reporters -- there are plenty of them in my profession -- can forget about the sheer joy of watching something big unfold before them (and gripe about deadlines), something that reaches every corner of the globe such as the FIBA World Championship. *** Last night, the shinksansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Hiroshima took 4 hours on the dot, exactly as the ticket stated. Talk about being ...

... though I had an amazing time in Japan and I hope that you all have a chance someday to visit the peace memorial museum and open your eyes to the other side. I love you all; I wish you a happy thanksgiving! Eat lots of yummy food because I'm going to have yucky ship food I cant wait for home cooked meals I'm so over Asian food and peeing in holes. I've been peeing in holes since India that's more then half of my trip I'm ready for westernized toilets ha ha sorry random tangent.