We went to Fuji-Q Highlands, a good amusement park with some of the best rides around. Apparently all three of their main rides held a world record previously or currently. Peter and I woke up around 4:30 AM just to catch the first of many trains to get there. After a couple transfers, we met up with some of Peter’s friends a Shinjuku. After waiting for about 30 minutes, all three of them came. We then took off for Fuji-Q. The goal was to get there at 9AM, when the park opens. We got there at 10:30 just because one of Peter’s friends broke off from the group and took the wrong train. So basically we had to wait for him.
Now, I haven’t been in an amusement park in a long ass time, but I do love roller coasters. First up, Fujiyama. We waited in a line of 1h 30min with an encounter of a bee in the line. Ugh. The bees in Japan are 50% bigger than the ones I the US, I swear to god. Well worth the wait though. The initial 80 meter climb was intense… almost as intense as the drop afterwards. I heard that if you were tall enough that if you held your hands up, you risk losing your hands just because some of the support girders are close by. There was a woman that was going no hands and If she could reach maybe another foot or two her hands would be no more. Fujiyama held the world record of being the faster and tallest coaster in 1996 until 2000
Anyways, onto ride number two. Eejanaika. It currently holds the record of having the most inversions. After a gruesome 2h 30 min wait (I almost started and beat Metroid Zero Mission. I stopped throughout gameplay to talk to people), we were next in line. It’s one of those coasters that you sit in individual seats and they can flip in place. The scariest part, imo, is the initial climb. You’re sitting backwards while making the climb to 75m. The ride is slightly shorter than Fujiyama, but it’s more thrilling.
We ate lunch then it’s off to rides that pale in comparison to the two previous rides. We got in line for a Hamtaro Sky Adventure ride that’s actually pretty intense for a ride that‘s aimed for kids. Riding it was basically a dare because the car only allows two people to sit in it… in one seat. We had 4 guys and 1 girl in our group. You can see where this was going. It’s a sitdown coaster with the track above you that took you around almost all the park.
Anyways, after that, we strolled through the park looking for another ride. Just for fun, we went on a ride that is basically a bike on a rail in the air that took you around the park. The best part of this ride is that if you peddle fast enough, you can collide with the people in front of you. It also felt like you could derail and tip off of the rail and smash the people walking beneath you.
Last ride that we rode was the Red Tower. It’s one of those rides where it lifts you to a certain height then free falls you to the ground. Now that crap is intense. The view, obviously, was amazing up there. Then after 20 seconds of the view, your stomach hits the back of your throat as you plummet to the ground. Fun.
Took the train back to Iki’s house just in time for a traditional Japanese dinner that consisted of fish, rice paper wrapped meatballs, a house salad with homegrown tomatoes, miso soup, and rice. A good day, it was.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Haven't been doing much within the last few days. Jeh, Melissa, Roger, and Joyce all have gone back to the US leaving Peter, Iki, and me left in Japan. Before Roger and Joyce left though, we all went on a shopping spree in Kawasaki Mall. They bought so much items, they bought luggage as well to fit everything they just bought in it. I spent the most in one day on items so far. A new pair of pants, 2 t-shirts from http://www.graniph.com/ , a few stickers, more key covers as gifts, 2 Star Wars posters with a Japanese theme (You guys will love it), as well as a few Transformers action figures only available in Japan.
Today, I'm staying at Ella's place along with her BF, Terry. Before that, however, We met up at Asakusa, a city about an hour away from Iki's place. Apparently, there is a popular temple there that we visited. We then went to Akihabara since Terry had never gone there before. Nothing really new. We browsed computers and games while discussing tech stuff like iPhones, DS vs. PSP, and stuff like that.
We ate at a close by raman place. Not too surprising, it was packed with foreigners. I ordered the chicken teriyaki raman. It was pretty decent and they give a good amount of raman with it. After, we met up with one of Ella's friends. We went to a close by restaurant in which they ordered some drinks as well as a few snacks. The only thing that irked me was that the place was completely smoker friendly. Crap in a hat. This was my first completely smoker friendly place that I've dined at and I have to say I was completely irritable during that time. Why didn' we go to another place? Well, we didnt really smelled anything until we actually ordered. After that, people started lighting them up. Whatever, I couldn't wait to get out of there. Ella's place is pretty small. It's one room about twice the size of Tristan's room. It also has a pretty small bathroom.
Today, I'm staying at Ella's place along with her BF, Terry. Before that, however, We met up at Asakusa, a city about an hour away from Iki's place. Apparently, there is a popular temple there that we visited. We then went to Akihabara since Terry had never gone there before. Nothing really new. We browsed computers and games while discussing tech stuff like iPhones, DS vs. PSP, and stuff like that.
We ate at a close by raman place. Not too surprising, it was packed with foreigners. I ordered the chicken teriyaki raman. It was pretty decent and they give a good amount of raman with it. After, we met up with one of Ella's friends. We went to a close by restaurant in which they ordered some drinks as well as a few snacks. The only thing that irked me was that the place was completely smoker friendly. Crap in a hat. This was my first completely smoker friendly place that I've dined at and I have to say I was completely irritable during that time. Why didn' we go to another place? Well, we didnt really smelled anything until we actually ordered. After that, people started lighting them up. Whatever, I couldn't wait to get out of there. Ella's place is pretty small. It's one room about twice the size of Tristan's room. It also has a pretty small bathroom.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Got up at 9AM to get ready for check out from our hotel. Packed up all my things, took a few complimentary things and we were on our way to the train station. Go o Nagoya, a little over an hour by Shinkansen. We were suppose to meet Jeh’s friend for dinner, but since we got there at 2ish, we had plenty of time to browse around the city.
We first tried to find the Anime Robot Museum. However, after walking around for about 45 mins around the block it’s suppose to be on we gave up and headed towards Oasis 21, which is known for the UFO shaped roof with water running over it to prevent heat from entering in the area. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for a Pokemon Center. Browsed through it for a second just to see what it had. Lots of stuffed Pokemon, los of figures, card, games, and random Nintendo accessories Pokemon related. We went in an info booth as asked about the Robot Museum. They said it’s closed down. Meh. Headed off to a Bookstore afterwards to try and find Melissa a certain book. We found it and just stayed in there reading books until 6 rolls around.
Jeh’s friend Tate met us at the bookstore and took us to a chicken restaurant. Tate is from the US teaching English to kids. Nagoya is famous for their chicken. We ordered 2 orders of friend wings, 2 orders of boneless fried wings filled with gyoza filling (!), Chicken meatballs, some fish, and shitake mushrooms. Hella good. Afterward headed back to Tokyo and eventually, Iki’s house.
The next day, Peter, Roger, Jeh, Melissa, Joyce, and I all met up at Shinigawa Station. We all left for Akihabara, so-called the Gaming Mecca of the world. As soon as we got there, we went to a retaurant and had a good meal of Kontatsu (Fried pork chops). After, we were on our journey. Akihabara, Akiba for short, is pretty huge. It’s about 7 blocks by 7 blocks with nothing but buildings with at least 6 floors of anime, manga, gaming, arcades, UFO catchers, maid cafes (more on this later), restaurants, hobby shops (Anime figures, Gundam models, Toy trains, Airsoft, card shops, and more), capsule machines shops, cosplay shops, and last, but not least, adult shops filled all sorts of interesting products.
We browsed for figures until 4pm where we met up with Amy and her friend, Feng. We played UFO catchers for an hour and won a pretty big stuffed raccoon and gave it to Amy, and a Gloomy Bear bloody paw keychain for myself. Afterwards, we went to eat at a Shabu Shabu restaurant. A Shabu Shabu restaurant is an all you can eat hotpot. There is a big pot of boiling water in the middle of the table. The staff then gives you different thin cuts of pork and beef. You put the rectangular thin slices, think deli ham thickness, into the pot for about 30 seconds and you take it out, and dip it into your favorite sauce and eat. You also put, if you want, different types of veggies and noodles into the pot too. If you’re running out of meat, you just call one of the staff and they’ll come back with the meat of your choice. Oh, and you can only eat for 1.5 hours. Well after we’re done, it’s 9:30. About 9/10 of all stores in Akiba that are still open, so we called it a night.
There are 3 or 4 main arcades that I can think of right now. Sega Tower, Taito Tower, and Don Quixote. They all have about the same arcades. However, I like Don Quixote’s arcade the most. Mainly because they have two Beatmania IIDX machines. Not only that, but they’re set for 4 songs each play instead of 3. They also have 4 Street Fighter 4 machines that were generally smoke free. Smoking is permitted in all 3 arcades, but I found that Don Quixote didn’t have that many smokers.
Whatever, long article, I'll finish it tomarrow.
We first tried to find the Anime Robot Museum. However, after walking around for about 45 mins around the block it’s suppose to be on we gave up and headed towards Oasis 21, which is known for the UFO shaped roof with water running over it to prevent heat from entering in the area. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for a Pokemon Center. Browsed through it for a second just to see what it had. Lots of stuffed Pokemon, los of figures, card, games, and random Nintendo accessories Pokemon related. We went in an info booth as asked about the Robot Museum. They said it’s closed down. Meh. Headed off to a Bookstore afterwards to try and find Melissa a certain book. We found it and just stayed in there reading books until 6 rolls around.
Jeh’s friend Tate met us at the bookstore and took us to a chicken restaurant. Tate is from the US teaching English to kids. Nagoya is famous for their chicken. We ordered 2 orders of friend wings, 2 orders of boneless fried wings filled with gyoza filling (!), Chicken meatballs, some fish, and shitake mushrooms. Hella good. Afterward headed back to Tokyo and eventually, Iki’s house.
The next day, Peter, Roger, Jeh, Melissa, Joyce, and I all met up at Shinigawa Station. We all left for Akihabara, so-called the Gaming Mecca of the world. As soon as we got there, we went to a retaurant and had a good meal of Kontatsu (Fried pork chops). After, we were on our journey. Akihabara, Akiba for short, is pretty huge. It’s about 7 blocks by 7 blocks with nothing but buildings with at least 6 floors of anime, manga, gaming, arcades, UFO catchers, maid cafes (more on this later), restaurants, hobby shops (Anime figures, Gundam models, Toy trains, Airsoft, card shops, and more), capsule machines shops, cosplay shops, and last, but not least, adult shops filled all sorts of interesting products.
We browsed for figures until 4pm where we met up with Amy and her friend, Feng. We played UFO catchers for an hour and won a pretty big stuffed raccoon and gave it to Amy, and a Gloomy Bear bloody paw keychain for myself. Afterwards, we went to eat at a Shabu Shabu restaurant. A Shabu Shabu restaurant is an all you can eat hotpot. There is a big pot of boiling water in the middle of the table. The staff then gives you different thin cuts of pork and beef. You put the rectangular thin slices, think deli ham thickness, into the pot for about 30 seconds and you take it out, and dip it into your favorite sauce and eat. You also put, if you want, different types of veggies and noodles into the pot too. If you’re running out of meat, you just call one of the staff and they’ll come back with the meat of your choice. Oh, and you can only eat for 1.5 hours. Well after we’re done, it’s 9:30. About 9/10 of all stores in Akiba that are still open, so we called it a night.
There are 3 or 4 main arcades that I can think of right now. Sega Tower, Taito Tower, and Don Quixote. They all have about the same arcades. However, I like Don Quixote’s arcade the most. Mainly because they have two Beatmania IIDX machines. Not only that, but they’re set for 4 songs each play instead of 3. They also have 4 Street Fighter 4 machines that were generally smoke free. Smoking is permitted in all 3 arcades, but I found that Don Quixote didn’t have that many smokers.
Whatever, long article, I'll finish it tomarrow.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Woke up to the sound of Ella’s phone ringing. Blurry eyed, I look at the clock. 3:30 AM. Wtf… She spends about 30 seconds talking, then hangs up. I quickly drift back to sleep. I wake up to the sound of beeping. However, it’s not the usual alarm clock beeping/buzzing. No, I realize it’s Ella’s phone. I glance at the clock. 7AM. Mmmm… Whatever. Drift back to sleep ad finally wake up at the correct time of 9:30.
Jeh, Melissa, Ella, and I headed out to a nearby Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. I got the usual White Chocolate Mocha and an Egg Sausage Biscuit. This sausage tastes quite different than the usual sausage in the US. It’s less salty. A lot less salty. It’s still quite good. Anywho, afterwards left for Nijo Castle as well as a few other temples. Nothing much. Just walked and walked and visited temples and shrines. Ate Curry Tonkatsu again for lunch and a very tasty roast beef raman for dinner.
Everything is superior in Japan. Public transportation of all kinds (Bus / train), the restaurants, vending machines, restrooms, arcades, food, you name it. On every single block there are AT LEAST two drink vending machines that are ALWAYS in stock of every drink and one cigarette vending machine. In the beverage vending machines, there is usually a selection of water, sports drink, Coke, Coke Zero, 2-4 different types of coffee, 2-4 different types of tea, grape soda, orange soda, and milk tea. That’s right, EACH vending machine offers about 25 different types of drinks ice cold and I haven’t seen one that has any that’s out. The cigarette machines requires you to scan your government issued ID to purchase from it and you can’t buy them past Midnight. You also see an ice cream machine periodically. I’ve seen one Cup and Noodles machine that sold Chicken, Beef, Curry, and Seafood Cup and Noodles. To think of it I haven’t seen a snack vending machine. Only drinks, ice cream, cigarettes, cup of noodles, and hot coffee.
Well, I still haven’t been to Akihabara (Akiba for short). Akiba is a place for gamers and anime/manga otakus. I expect Akiba to have all the random vending machines. Some that sell just Pocky. Some that sell high tech things such as iPods, games, and the like. And finally some that sells kinky fetish items like used panties, maid outfits, dvds, and the like. Anyways, it’s going to be interesting there. I read it even has a maid café where all the employees are female and wear French maid costumes. Ah well. We’ll see what happens when I visit there. Well, I think that’s about it for now. I think I’ll make I a habit of mine to split an entry into two sections. First half to explain how my day went, and the other explaining one or two subjects about Japan.
Peace,
Izzy
Jeh, Melissa, Ella, and I headed out to a nearby Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. I got the usual White Chocolate Mocha and an Egg Sausage Biscuit. This sausage tastes quite different than the usual sausage in the US. It’s less salty. A lot less salty. It’s still quite good. Anywho, afterwards left for Nijo Castle as well as a few other temples. Nothing much. Just walked and walked and visited temples and shrines. Ate Curry Tonkatsu again for lunch and a very tasty roast beef raman for dinner.
Everything is superior in Japan. Public transportation of all kinds (Bus / train), the restaurants, vending machines, restrooms, arcades, food, you name it. On every single block there are AT LEAST two drink vending machines that are ALWAYS in stock of every drink and one cigarette vending machine. In the beverage vending machines, there is usually a selection of water, sports drink, Coke, Coke Zero, 2-4 different types of coffee, 2-4 different types of tea, grape soda, orange soda, and milk tea. That’s right, EACH vending machine offers about 25 different types of drinks ice cold and I haven’t seen one that has any that’s out. The cigarette machines requires you to scan your government issued ID to purchase from it and you can’t buy them past Midnight. You also see an ice cream machine periodically. I’ve seen one Cup and Noodles machine that sold Chicken, Beef, Curry, and Seafood Cup and Noodles. To think of it I haven’t seen a snack vending machine. Only drinks, ice cream, cigarettes, cup of noodles, and hot coffee.
Well, I still haven’t been to Akihabara (Akiba for short). Akiba is a place for gamers and anime/manga otakus. I expect Akiba to have all the random vending machines. Some that sell just Pocky. Some that sell high tech things such as iPods, games, and the like. And finally some that sells kinky fetish items like used panties, maid outfits, dvds, and the like. Anyways, it’s going to be interesting there. I read it even has a maid café where all the employees are female and wear French maid costumes. Ah well. We’ll see what happens when I visit there. Well, I think that’s about it for now. I think I’ll make I a habit of mine to split an entry into two sections. First half to explain how my day went, and the other explaining one or two subjects about Japan.
Peace,
Izzy
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