Part III summer
When I was in Sweden, I was also planning my research trip to Japan…not all was prepared so apart from homework for the class at Malmo’s coool nicely modern university, girl was tripped up on stumbling blocks in Asia…not sooooo fun to be planning another trip when you’re already in a foreign country..BUT c’est la vie b/c Jan-April was wayyy too busy and I had 2 jobs and my master’s final paper to worry about at that time—oink-gg!
Japan preparation: disaster hard can’t read their websites ppl don’t write back to you that quickly and they are polite but not so forward so you wonder if they will help you and only upon arrival do you find that they have planned a lot but did not tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alas I digress. And then you find yourself wanting to help them too and then agreeing to make a presentation at Sophia University in Tokyo on the 2nd day of your trip even though you don’t know what you’re talking about yet so you have to do an all-nighter jetlagged later…….But jetlag allows you to see the quiet streets of TKYO and go to the fish market early……!!!!!!!
Itinerary: TOKYO I have a place to stay very cheap guesthouse been there a few times..even though they doubled the price, YAYODA guesthouse very affordable and new at about $30 a nite!!!!!!!!!!!! I met some fun Japanese girls in my room who helped me practise the language that I have been learning in anticipation of this trip for about 6 months! A lot of money later, one would hope to be able to read but alas when things are in Chinese characters +++ it ain’t gonna happen!!!!! 7-11 is from heaven if you are in Japan. The food is good and even for $3 you can have some fish eggs or what I like to say is tobiko although it could be another type of fish….noodles and fresh tofu are there and you could only dream of this in N.America….7-11 is so wonderfully from heaven and I am actually singing that as I type!
Please pack lightly when you go to Japan cuz everything is small and the subway is a disaster if you are fat or have fat luggage like me…I only had 5 bruises in 5 days and started to hate myself and the subway but not the ppl b/c they are so cute even though they like to dress the same when they work and I personally hate black and will never wear stockings in the humid summer but they do and the cute girls have to wear boring shoessssssssss (PS this is only for work. OUtside of that they can party but tend to wear neutral colours most of the time! Unless they have CRACKED and now are dressing Harajuku style which is WILD and DARN $$$ so it ain’t for everyone!!!!!) Even the nice gel nails cost $60 for a manicure so that is a dream that I will never have b/c I think that is too much money!!!!!!!!!! Especially when a mani is just $2 in VN!
FINALLY I FOUND THE FAMOUS SUSHI SHOPS AT THE TSUKIJI MARKET…I’m blessed b/c despite my blindness I found it even though it took forever and the first time I went there in 2007 I was lost and could not find them…I spoke a lil Japanese and tried to be cute and scored me some free smoked crab! SWEET! And it was worth it 🙂 PROB BEST SUSHI IN THE WORLD–Tokyo natives were shocked that I spend 4,000 on the meal but that is really just $50 and totally fine for one of the most memorable sushi experiences of your life, ritttttttttttteeeeeee? RITE!
Ahh I’ve been thwarted by a phone call from Bangladesh! Yeah it’s catch-up time with my grad school buddy Ahmed!