I have to say I didn't think I would like Japan as much as I did. The fact is; my impression of Korea has been so overwhelmingly negative that I thought Korea had ruined it for all of Asia, but apparently Japan has saved the day!
Mandie and children on a class excursion. It is so clean, and it is possible to hear birds, and NOT hear men hacking up a massive wads of phelm that they will no doubt despose of right in the middle of wherever they happen top be standing. There is also wide-open space despite a sizable population. The pace of life seem slowers as well, perhaps it is the lack of pushing and shoving while attemping to board and disembark public transportation. I was taken by the sight of people enjoying a coffee (well tea probably) in the park and at cafes (very European)...the fact that there were parks at all was something I had forgotten existed. These were things I did before I moved to "hell", but that I had honestly forgotten about. Perhaps it's wrong to say this (colonialism isn't anything to be proud of) but I found the Brittish influence charming, the whole driving on the 'right' side of the road in a left-sided drivers seat, and so on. The fashions were quite different as well, even the extra trendy twenty-somethings just seemed more stylish and sophisticated than the Koreans..whose fashion attempts just make me laugh. This isn't to say that I'm not still on the lookout for a pair of "F*** You" brand jeans, because I totally am!!!
Jitensha (Bicycles) The first day I was pleased that I had no trouble navigating the subway. The hotel was tiny, not especially clean, but it had a comfortable bed, fun midget shower, and fun toilet with a remote control, and most importantly; there was no one selling bananas outside my window with a loud speaker, nor anyone yelling in my hallway, so I had no problems settling in for pre-party nap. (I never nap). After a 3 hour nap, my bloks and I headed out on the town, we met another friend to add to our group in the lobby, a lovely Irish girl. One of the guys that had been in Fukuoka before knew a place, we searched for this place for 2 hours, when I declared I needed to piss. So I demaded we hit the next bar we came across. It so happened to be a place called Sam and Daves, which turned out to be a grand little place. We were the only people there, so the friendly bartenders gave us plenty of attention. Ate dinner there, drank a bunch of beers, then we continued on. Finally we reached the 'happy cock" after much persistence. There we drank 'all we could" it was included in the admission price!!(People would be dead if they offered such a scheme in Norway!!) Anyway it was a late night, but good fun. Naturally we stopped for snacks to take back to the hotel, I got sushi...I feel asleep eating in. In the morning there was sushi in my bed and a bit of a hangover. On Friday the day I was to fly out, I had finished my business in the early afternoon but my flight didn't leave until later in the evening, so having some hours to kill, not to mention the presence of delightful spring weather, my mates and I headed for the beach, snapping scenic pictures along the way. After touching the sea for the first time in many months, we headed for a cafe with a patio right on the prominade facing the sea. All the choice tables were occupied, so I made us a new friend, a Nova Scotian to be more precise. After enjoying a yummy bowl of seafood pasta (not sweet- yes!!Koreans add sugar to everything, I hate that) and a nice glass of red wine. We realized how relaxing the ambiance was, and decided stay at the cafe and enjoy the sun and take some beers, rather than be tourist. It was the most relaxing day I've had...well since I've been in Korea, maybe even more so than when me and Drew's went to the Gyeongju temples. To be fair I was only in one city, so this evaluation bleeds of blantant slant...but one city can offer a significant account of the culture at least- right? The Brits and I surmized that Fukuoka was like a combination of a Southern European city, a British Colony, a random Asian city and The Future. I could absolutely live there, it was most enjoyable! Next time I'll try Tokyo...see if my opinion changes;)
