Sayonara
Saturday, 13 November 2004
Well frankly Im still confused but me and Catherine have compiled a list of what we reckon are the top ten most Japanese things. Here it is:
- Geisha piling around in taxi round Kyoto jabbering away on mobile phones. The cheeky blighters won't let you photograph them though!
- People run after you to give you possesions that you may have left behind. Whether you want them or not. We creased up when a guy trying to leave his MaccDee's rubbish in a tube was presented with it again by a helpful bystander.(In fact the people here are so helpful that my coping strategy for when I find anything a bit dificult to do is to stand looking helpless for a minute, a Japanese person always comes over and helps you - Catherine)
- "Gozaimas!!!!", this is the sound of Japan. This word is some kind of Japanese pleasantry that rings through your ears litterally all the time, from shop staff, esculators, vending machines - just about everything. It soon becomes a kind of droning background noise like the sound of scousers saying "aye! aye! aye!" in Liverpool.
- This morning while having breakfast in a 24 hour resturant we witnessed a salaryman lying face down in his food fast asleep. It almost certainly was his evening meal.
- While the Japanese seem to neglect their rubbish "japanese style toilets" they see it fit to add a button to western style toilets that simply makes an electronic flushing noise. Nothing else. What the hell is the point of that? The bum washer is a true innovation though, we will be getting one imported on our return to the UK. ( The flushing noise is just for fun, I like the powerful deoderiser too and I took a piccie of my fav toilet - you can see it soon! - Catherine)
- Also today, we passed a guy, who like loads of other people over here was still wearing a SARS style antiseptic mask to protect him from germs or maybe to protect other people from his germs but he had it raised up so he could puff on his cigarette....is this not daft?
- Masocistic cuisine. Drippy octopus is just the start of it....and that both of our opinions - not just my uncultured one.
- The esculators, the lifts, near every single mechanical object thanks you for using it in a high pitched recorded voice. The Japanese REALLY like there pleasantries.
- Very often you will find a garage with a big and fancy suped up car in it but it's nose will be sticking out of the garage a few feet because theres just no room for it. Big ideas - no alot of space.
- Coin operated porn. In all hotels it seems. You just feed coins into your telly and you get weird porn featuring unenthusiastic girls and blocked out private bits. Oh yeah baby.
So, that's Japan for you. It's been very entertaining and action packed trying to fit so much into the last couple of weeks but I think we've learnt something. Well, probably not. I think I grew a new contrasurvival engram in the minishuku though and had a very good time thanks to the ninjas. Off to Hong Kong tomorrow.
Well, Ive learnt some stuff, speak for yourself Danny D. I now know that I can withstand a high presure ladybits wash, that I could eat raw fish quite happily if there was no means of making fire and that nuclear weapons originated in Germany. Ha. Kampai! Japanese people I salute you, you are most helpful and I also think you are really funny too. Sayonara! - Catherine
On November 15, 2004, Rob Clarke said:
Dan,
Thought you would want to know that Ol Dirty Bastard has died of unkown causes in his studio. Fred Dibnah died the other day has well :(
On November 15, 2004, Dan said:
Ahhhh, I suspected that sommat had happened. I heard some rapper on an award show say "Rest in Peace, ODB!"....thats not good at all.