Oct. 28th, 2002
Went to a computer district called "Den Den Town". One person
was selling pirated
software. One CD disk cover was labeled
"Windows 2000 Sever" (instead of "Server").
Nov. 2nd
Went to Kansai Airport with my friend, Dave. We were planning on taking
a last-
minute trip somewhere. The possible places were Okinawa,
Bangkok, Guam, Manila,
or Taiwan. Unfortunately, the only way to go
was to buy a ticket directly from an
airline and it would have been 2 or
more times expensive than otherwise. So, we didn't
go anywhere.
We discovered that the best plan would have been to buy tickets from a
discount travel agency the day before. We went to Wakayama instead.
It is located
around the bay from Osaka. We walked around for
about 2 hours and bought some
food to take home.
Nov. 23rd
I went sightseeing in Hiroshima with my friend Dave, his dad Barney, and his
stepmother Caroline. We took a Shinkansen (bullet train).
Dave asked one of the
conductors how fast the train was traveling and he
said 285 km/hr (188 mph). Sugoi!
After checking into the Rihga Royal
Hotel, we walked to the "Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum".
It contained information about the bombing that occurred there
on August 6,
1945. It had an abundance of information, too much to be disclosed here.
It is worth visiting at least once, especially since it only costs 50 yen
(40 cents at 122 yen
per dollar). Afterwards, we walked to the
"Hiroshima Castle". Unfortunately, it
closed at 4:30pm
(between October 31st and December
5th).
Nov. 24th
At about 9:30, Dave, his dad, his stepmother, and I went to Miyajima. It
took a 30-
minute train ride and a 15-minute ferry ride to get to the
island. Near its dock on the
near side of the island, it has several
Buddhist shrines and temples. It also has hundreds
of deer located
near the dock and nearby walking area where people regularly feed
them.
We walked around for about 4-1/2 hours looking at various things.
(Miyajima is considered the third most interesting place in Japan to visit.)
Jan. 2, 2003
In the morning, I looked outside and could see snowflakes falling.
However, they were
so small and intermittent that I wasn't sure if
it was snowflakes or ash from a fire. It
was my first experience of
snow in Japan.
Jan. 8th
My friend from Mongolia received a drink from one of his friends in Mongolia.
He
asked me if I wanted to try some and I asked him what it was.
He showed me the bottle
and it had the picture of a horse milking
its fawn. Are you kidding? So, I tried it. It
had a
very strong, alcohol-type of taste to it.
Jan. 29th
I attended my first Japanese class.
Feb. 3rd
On February 3rd, the Japanese celebrate what they consider "the first day
of spring".
Feb. 11th
I played golf for the first time in Japan at a course named "Dorado Golf
Course".
Mar. 15th
I went to Osaka-Jo Castle. It is located within a 15-minute train ride of
downtown
Osaka. It is surrounded by a moat, the main tower is 8
stories high and was
reconstructed in 1931, and its original construction
began around 1500AD. Also, it has
a large cherry blossom tree
garden. Afterwards, I went to Nara. In Nara is the largest
Buddha statue in Japan. Also, there are several other large statues of
warriors and
women within the main shrine ("Great Buddha Hall")
of the temple. The
"Virocana Buddha" is about 49 feet high.
Mar. 22nd
I went sightseeing on the Kobe Ropeway. It is a gondola ride from the
Kitano area up to
the top of the mountain. It offers a view of the
entire Osaka Bay, including downtown
Osaka. Also at the top of the
mountain is a restaurant, a botanical garden, and hiking
paths to view the
foliage.
Mar. 23rd
I went to my first sumo wrestling tournament. My ticket cost 9,200 yen
($77 at 120 yen
per dollar). I hope that everyone who visits Japan
has the opportunity. It was a great
cultural experience.
Mar. 27th
I went to Himeji Castle. Unfortunately, it closed at 5:00pm and I
arrived at about
5:05pm. I took a couple of pictures and walked
around it. It took 45 minutes to get to
Himeji from Sannomiya and
cost 950 yen (about $8.00 at 120 yen per dollar).
Mar. 28th
I picked up my visa to go to Vietnam. It cost $50 and it was good for 30
days.
Afterwards, while walking back to the Nagahoribashi subway station,
I went to the
Namba temple.
Mar. 29th
I went to Sannomiya. While there, I visited two temples. One was
Ikuta, located near Higashimon Street.
Apr. 2nd
I played golf for the second time in Japan at the same course as February 11th
--
"Dorado Golf Course". I played with in a friendly tournament
including people from a
local bar -- "The Pink Cafe". I shot 3 over
par for the best gross score and ended up the
winning after the personnel
in the pro shop determined everyone's handicaps.
Afterwards, nearly
everyone went to dinner at a yakitori restaurant and then to a bar
owned
by one of the tournament participants.