Washington Chiba

... call this entry "Asia, a land of contrasts." Or maybe I&#8217;ll just reach for that drink and think back a week ago to the most magical kingdom of them all&#8230;<br><br>As I mentioned previously, the Tokyo Disney resort is a lesson in efficiency. The Disney standards for service (Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency) were tailor made for the Japanese culture. When Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983, the Japanese grabbed hold of Walt&#8217;s philosophy ...

... school (English for native Japanese speakers, that is) so I knew I would have at least one more person for conversation. When we arrived, we were ushered into the dining room, Japanese style with a low table, and mats on the floor. Her gram had an electric-lift chair that lowered to the level of the table. It was obvious that she had seen many years go by, but her one good eye still had a lot of sharpness in it. She said hello to ...

... And, since it was Friday night, I had chicken and chicken soup for dinner. That is, chicken broth with udon noodles, and Japanese-style fried chicken. Don't worry, Mom, it was good, but yours is still better. Ninjas and pod beds A quick word about the hostel I'm staying at in Tokyo, just because it's so unique. For starters, it has a ninja theme, with pictures and cartoons all over the walls and staircases. You may have noticed from the ...

... that many people who either spoke English or wanted to go out, so i walked around on my own in asakusa-old part of Tokyo in the North East for a few hours, saw this massive temple and tried to find an atm that took western cards and did my best to avoid the majority who drive their bikes on the pavement! So in bed by 12.00 night one, fairly standard start. Day two saw me move hostels, and after leaving the directions in hostel one, i walked around minora (which is ...

Just a quick note ...trying to keep travel in order,,..After the 15+ hour fight I was able to 'streach my legs' in Japan!...I only have as pic of the bording sign...I will post pics soon.

... what. There was virtually no English signs anywhere, just occasionally the names of different subway lines: 'Ginza Line,' 'Asakusa Line,' etc. This was exactly the sort of country I like to visit, a country not over-accommodating for foreigners, a country that has the self-confidence to do things that its own citizens like and find easy. A true challenge for an outsider! We met a lone traveller on the Ginza Line who asked us if he was going the ...

... amusement of the staff...who don't get many size 15 feet to work on. Lots of giggles as the slippers they gave me didn't fit &amp; i think they brought out the master to work on my feet. Very relaxing. Older Japanese man who didn't speak english but we worked it out. Most of the staff came over during the massage to discuss the size of my feet. I felt like a celebrity...or a circus act. The National Museum of Emerging Science and ...

... people hang out there. Taichi, Taro, Bev and Mel in Ebisu We got back to Richard's at 4am zzzzzzzzzz -------------------- THURSDAY 07/09/2006 -------------------- Earthquake ... then sushi and a new camera Whilst lying on the lounge room floor at Richards, there was a small earthquake. Lasted 5 seconds. I thought the neighbours were moving ...

Headed out with Nick in the morning. He had a class to teach in Sogo and then a Japanese lesson in Chiba that he had to take. While he taught in Sogo, I was left to wander about the fairly large shopping mall. The first floor of the mall was somewhat boring. Just clothing store after clothing store and then a sporting goods at the end of it all. Upon arriving at the second floor I saw it...a mini amusement ...

... electronic database of thousands of songs. Full drink and food service is available by calling a waitress on the phone that is also in each room. Our friends Emi and Hissa hone their skills 2-3 times a month and needless to say had much better voices than us. On Saturday, we woke up to snow which is a rarity in Tokyo. It didn't really get in our way, but most of the Japanese people were freaking out because they never see snow and don't really know how ...