Chronicles of Calvin, and Japan: From me, to you!
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Alright, I thought I'd start giving back the community by sharing my experiences in Japan. I know lots of you guys have already been to Japan multiple times and probably don't need/want to hear this from me, but, I also know ton's of people who haven't been. I am one of the lucky people to have been fortunate enough to go to Japan.
I'd start by giving you my impression of Japan, before I had ever been.
I honestly thought that I'd be disappointed. The media's portrayal of Japan has either been making it seem like a WONDERLAND, and heaven. Where all the girls are cute, people are nice, and gadgets are wonderful! Basically...a heaven! However, I am skeptic. I knew that no such place in the world would exist. Yes, it's the home of manga and anime, things I LOVE very much, but is that place really as good as the media portrays it?
There has been also lots of negativity too, groping in trains, strange traditions. Bad teeth on girls. Selling underwear in vending machines. All that kind of strange stuff you hear on the internet.
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that I will be disappointed. Boy was I wrong.
--I gotta go for lunch, I'll continue my rant later on--
Ahhh swedish meatballs, yum....now where was I? Ahh yes, disappointment.
Boy was I wrong. For me, it was really was an almost perfect place to live/work...
Now let's see how this trip all started. There was drama. Lots of it.
February 2009. I was talking on IRC with some friends, mostly over anime manga, blah. My ex-girlfriend messaged me on MSN about how she just got back from Japan, and showed me all these pictures, and talked about the food...that really got me going. She even talked to me about all the sex she had with her new BF there. Now, she's a really nice girl and she wasn't out to hurt me or anything, but obviously, for me, who was single, it hurt a bit. I thought to myself....you know what, I'LL GO TOO, and see what it's all about. I checked airplane ticket prices and it was around $850 at the time...I told my friend who was about to graduate about how we would go together and he was firing on all cylinders. He had about $3000 CDN saved up, and that was more than enough. We got really fired up because a round trip ticket was only $850. We asked more people if they wanted to go in August 2009, and many people said yes.
A few weeks later, when we confirmed with people, we went back to the site...the prices had gone up...way up...the prices were now $1700. Sheesh. Plans canceled. Or so we thought.
I was brought up in Hong Kong as a kid and my mom told me in March that we would be hitting Hong Kong...then an idea sparked in me...let's go from Hong kong! should be much cheaper!
My ticket to Hong Kong was basically paid for by my aunt in Hong Kong...Alls I had to pay for was the trip in Hong Kong....my friend however, had to fork over the money for everything...at first he didnt even want to go to HK because it was over $1200 for the ticket...BUT...due to some FREAK sale in the end of march, Air Canada has a sale on tickets to Hong Kong....$900 Taxes in and everything...he decided that yeah, he would go to Hong Kong, and we would plan our trip to Japan there...
Flash forward to May 1st....I arrive in Hong Kong International Airport...ahh home sweet home...My friend was to follow after. He came on the 11th of May.
For the first week in HK, I looked at many many many...Tour Agencies and I wanted to avoid tours at first because they are always so rushed and we can't really do what we want to do...But then I started to calculate the costs and man, things really add up if you go independently. Food, transportation, accommodations, the flight...the total cost would be more than $1000 CDN!
Then a tour caught my eye, what made it even better was that they were willing to take off an additional $100 if I signed up that day. In addition, it wasn't reallyt a sight seeing tour, it was more of a shopping + onsen tour. AWESOME.
The tour cost me around $714 and it included most of the meals, transportation, hotels and entrance fees to many attractions...I pulled the trigger on this one, and I even paid in advance for my friend because I knew he would agree. The tour was set for May 13th, to May 19th. From Hong Kong to Tokyo.
May 11th came, I got wasted with my friend in Hong Kong the night before the flight...bad idea...we were so hungover the next morning that we almost missed our flight..but there were lots of chicks at the club xD
DAY 1
Anyway...we arrive in Japan and we were taken to Marroad Narita Hotel. Great hotel...but there's something to learn in Japan. In Japan, smoking is allowed in most indoor areas, so for a non-smoker like me, it took a while for me to get used to the smoky smell, most hotels had...including the one we stayed in. It's a nice hotel thats REALLY close to the airport. here's a picture..
Japan tip number one!
Stay in a hotel near the airport if you are travelling from North America. We came from Hong Kong (a 3 hour flight) and we were still tired as hell. If you arrive in the evening, ask the concierge where Marroad Narita Hotel is and stay the night, its not expensive. Also, most hotels have free buffet breakfast. Which brings me to...
Japan tip number two!
Wake up early if you stay at a hotel! You'll get to eat at the complimentary buffet breakfast! It's nothing like the food at Vegas but you'll get to try traditional Japanese breakfast! including...Natto! It tastes really....tasteless but I didn't try it with rice...It smells really...bad. at least to me. Also, waking up early entitles you to free shuttle bus to the nearby train stations! They only run until 10:30AM and honestly..I wanna make good use of the time I spend in Japan!
When we got to Japan, it was only around 2PM so after we checked into a hotel. After that we went to a nearby shopping centre... it had roughly 5 stories I think.
Japan tip number three!
In Japan, the air conditioning is set to a maximum of 25.5 C. So if youre like me, and is really afraid of the heat...well..get used to it xD. This mall was no exception...neither was the hotel.
Japan tip number four!
The shopping centers in Japan are a lot like department stores. Except they have multiple stores inside one building. And that "department store" is the entire building. When in a Japanese shopping centre, B1, basement level is usually the place where food is sold. So the grocery store is there because that basement level is generally cooler. from the ground floor to the 3rd floor, is just clothing, but the second floor does have formal restaurants. Speaking of food...
Japan tip number five!
In Japan, the sushi they sell prepared at the grocery stores...usually go on sale starting at 5PM. Prices are slashed to 60% of the price...then at 7PM they are slashed again to 50%..so if you're up for some cheap sushi...you know where to go. I, myself didn't go for sushi, because Canada and Hong Kong have lots of sushi places...what I DID want to try was RAMEN and TAKOYAKI!! Hold on...I have a picture. I only have my iPhone camera so bear with me...
and it WAS good. XD
Anyway, the top level was where it was REALLY cool. Ton's of these individual shops and stores...and the best of all...was a 100 Yen store...OMG stuff was so cheap...and abundant...so much to buy...me and my friend went for the personal hygiene stuff...clippers, tweezers and of course..the FOOD section...namely the snacks...here's a couple pics
there was also a CD store...nothing special..EXCEPT IT HAD ANIME SOUND TRACKS AND TONS OF OTHER JAPANESE MUSIC!!!
I bought a Clannad Re-Feel Piano arrange album...4000 Yen..but Oh so worth it.
There was also an electronics store and gunpla store...but I didn't take an pics of those because the price of games and DVDs in japan are ridiculous. A game that would cost me $60 dollars + tax, would cost me easily over $100 over there. But that's not to say don't buy any games there...but I'll save that for later.
Also, I'd like to completely retract what I thought about Japanese women. They are FUCKING hot. Absolutely georgeous. I'm not even being biased here. Honestly, there was a chick in the 100 yen store that was wearing a bag...and the strap was between her boobies...omg it was absolutely voluptuous. perfect size, cleavage, and shape...then there was another one in the shampoo store that had the PERFECT body..omg so hot...there are a lot more hot-women-encounters in the rest of my trip...so i'll...
I'll type up Day 2, tomorrow. Hope you guys had fun...until then...ja ne!
I'd start by giving you my impression of Japan, before I had ever been.
I honestly thought that I'd be disappointed. The media's portrayal of Japan has either been making it seem like a WONDERLAND, and heaven. Where all the girls are cute, people are nice, and gadgets are wonderful! Basically...a heaven! However, I am skeptic. I knew that no such place in the world would exist. Yes, it's the home of manga and anime, things I LOVE very much, but is that place really as good as the media portrays it?
There has been also lots of negativity too, groping in trains, strange traditions. Bad teeth on girls. Selling underwear in vending machines. All that kind of strange stuff you hear on the internet.
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that I will be disappointed. Boy was I wrong.
--I gotta go for lunch, I'll continue my rant later on--
Ahhh swedish meatballs, yum....now where was I? Ahh yes, disappointment.
Boy was I wrong. For me, it was really was an almost perfect place to live/work...
Now let's see how this trip all started. There was drama. Lots of it.
February 2009. I was talking on IRC with some friends, mostly over anime manga, blah. My ex-girlfriend messaged me on MSN about how she just got back from Japan, and showed me all these pictures, and talked about the food...that really got me going. She even talked to me about all the sex she had with her new BF there. Now, she's a really nice girl and she wasn't out to hurt me or anything, but obviously, for me, who was single, it hurt a bit. I thought to myself....you know what, I'LL GO TOO, and see what it's all about. I checked airplane ticket prices and it was around $850 at the time...I told my friend who was about to graduate about how we would go together and he was firing on all cylinders. He had about $3000 CDN saved up, and that was more than enough. We got really fired up because a round trip ticket was only $850. We asked more people if they wanted to go in August 2009, and many people said yes.
A few weeks later, when we confirmed with people, we went back to the site...the prices had gone up...way up...the prices were now $1700. Sheesh. Plans canceled. Or so we thought.
I was brought up in Hong Kong as a kid and my mom told me in March that we would be hitting Hong Kong...then an idea sparked in me...let's go from Hong kong! should be much cheaper!
My ticket to Hong Kong was basically paid for by my aunt in Hong Kong...Alls I had to pay for was the trip in Hong Kong....my friend however, had to fork over the money for everything...at first he didnt even want to go to HK because it was over $1200 for the ticket...BUT...due to some FREAK sale in the end of march, Air Canada has a sale on tickets to Hong Kong....$900 Taxes in and everything...he decided that yeah, he would go to Hong Kong, and we would plan our trip to Japan there...
Flash forward to May 1st....I arrive in Hong Kong International Airport...ahh home sweet home...My friend was to follow after. He came on the 11th of May.
For the first week in HK, I looked at many many many...Tour Agencies and I wanted to avoid tours at first because they are always so rushed and we can't really do what we want to do...But then I started to calculate the costs and man, things really add up if you go independently. Food, transportation, accommodations, the flight...the total cost would be more than $1000 CDN!
Then a tour caught my eye, what made it even better was that they were willing to take off an additional $100 if I signed up that day. In addition, it wasn't reallyt a sight seeing tour, it was more of a shopping + onsen tour. AWESOME.
The tour cost me around $714 and it included most of the meals, transportation, hotels and entrance fees to many attractions...I pulled the trigger on this one, and I even paid in advance for my friend because I knew he would agree. The tour was set for May 13th, to May 19th. From Hong Kong to Tokyo.
May 11th came, I got wasted with my friend in Hong Kong the night before the flight...bad idea...we were so hungover the next morning that we almost missed our flight..but there were lots of chicks at the club xD
DAY 1
Anyway...we arrive in Japan and we were taken to Marroad Narita Hotel. Great hotel...but there's something to learn in Japan. In Japan, smoking is allowed in most indoor areas, so for a non-smoker like me, it took a while for me to get used to the smoky smell, most hotels had...including the one we stayed in. It's a nice hotel thats REALLY close to the airport. here's a picture..
Japan tip number one!
Stay in a hotel near the airport if you are travelling from North America. We came from Hong Kong (a 3 hour flight) and we were still tired as hell. If you arrive in the evening, ask the concierge where Marroad Narita Hotel is and stay the night, its not expensive. Also, most hotels have free buffet breakfast. Which brings me to...
Japan tip number two!
Wake up early if you stay at a hotel! You'll get to eat at the complimentary buffet breakfast! It's nothing like the food at Vegas but you'll get to try traditional Japanese breakfast! including...Natto! It tastes really....tasteless but I didn't try it with rice...It smells really...bad. at least to me. Also, waking up early entitles you to free shuttle bus to the nearby train stations! They only run until 10:30AM and honestly..I wanna make good use of the time I spend in Japan!
When we got to Japan, it was only around 2PM so after we checked into a hotel. After that we went to a nearby shopping centre... it had roughly 5 stories I think.
Japan tip number three!
In Japan, the air conditioning is set to a maximum of 25.5 C. So if youre like me, and is really afraid of the heat...well..get used to it xD. This mall was no exception...neither was the hotel.
Japan tip number four!
The shopping centers in Japan are a lot like department stores. Except they have multiple stores inside one building. And that "department store" is the entire building. When in a Japanese shopping centre, B1, basement level is usually the place where food is sold. So the grocery store is there because that basement level is generally cooler. from the ground floor to the 3rd floor, is just clothing, but the second floor does have formal restaurants. Speaking of food...
Japan tip number five!
In Japan, the sushi they sell prepared at the grocery stores...usually go on sale starting at 5PM. Prices are slashed to 60% of the price...then at 7PM they are slashed again to 50%..so if you're up for some cheap sushi...you know where to go. I, myself didn't go for sushi, because Canada and Hong Kong have lots of sushi places...what I DID want to try was RAMEN and TAKOYAKI!! Hold on...I have a picture. I only have my iPhone camera so bear with me...
and it WAS good. XD
Anyway, the top level was where it was REALLY cool. Ton's of these individual shops and stores...and the best of all...was a 100 Yen store...OMG stuff was so cheap...and abundant...so much to buy...me and my friend went for the personal hygiene stuff...clippers, tweezers and of course..the FOOD section...namely the snacks...here's a couple pics
there was also a CD store...nothing special..EXCEPT IT HAD ANIME SOUND TRACKS AND TONS OF OTHER JAPANESE MUSIC!!!
I bought a Clannad Re-Feel Piano arrange album...4000 Yen..but Oh so worth it.
There was also an electronics store and gunpla store...but I didn't take an pics of those because the price of games and DVDs in japan are ridiculous. A game that would cost me $60 dollars + tax, would cost me easily over $100 over there. But that's not to say don't buy any games there...but I'll save that for later.
Also, I'd like to completely retract what I thought about Japanese women. They are FUCKING hot. Absolutely georgeous. I'm not even being biased here. Honestly, there was a chick in the 100 yen store that was wearing a bag...and the strap was between her boobies...omg it was absolutely voluptuous. perfect size, cleavage, and shape...then there was another one in the shampoo store that had the PERFECT body..omg so hot...there are a lot more hot-women-encounters in the rest of my trip...so i'll...
I'll type up Day 2, tomorrow. Hope you guys had fun...until then...ja ne!
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Japan will not disappoint, I can assure you that. My time spent in Japan (five days) was totally worth it, and I wish I can spend more time there. Sure, anything from anime is almost total BS when it comes to reality, but I've studied up on a lot of Japanese culture, watched enough live-actions and TV shows and heard enough anecdotes to figure out what Japan is really like. Least to say, I went to Japan to enjoy it and I did, much like Syn3rgetic did.