streets of shibuya

My turn to shine, I held the mic firmly in my hand and waited for my cue. The famous drum beat roared, and the lryics on the giant TV screen changed from yellow to white. "On a dark desert highway ..." I sang, brilliantly, to the delight of the crowd.

Fortunately, the crowd was only five friends or friends of friends, all cramed into a small karaoke box. It's not the kind of karaoke you might imagine taking place in crappy Corvallis bars. You aren't on stage in front of strangers. You're with friends. They sing, then you sing. You can suck, or you can amaze. In the end, you're out 20 bucks each and you wonder if it was worth it.

In terms of entertainment value, it beats singing in the shower. But at least in the shower there is technically no time limit and you come out smelling fresh. When you're kicked out of a karaoke box, you might smell like cig smoke, if your friends smoke. Or you might be faced with the shock of reality -- the real world hasn't changed. Even if you were singing better than The Eagles in there, out here, on the streets of Shibuya, you're just another forienger, among many, who has long since sobered up from the 5-7 p.m. happy hour at the pub.

But man, it is fun to belt out songs with your friends. It's fun to mess up, then recover. Fun to get the whole room going on a song they all know. I never thought I would be a fan of the art of karaoke, but this is Japan -- You can check out anytime you'd like, but you can never leave.

...

Some notes on Kobe ---

A fun city to visit. We saw their version of Chinatown, better than most I have seen in the states. A narrow walkway of shops and many food options. I stopped and bought at least three different snacks that filled up me for lunch. After that we walked to the water front, which was windy and not so exciting. For more of a thrill, we might have tried to go inside one of the tall buildings and get a view of the city.

Instead, time was an issue, so we started walking East, thinking we were somewhere close to a museum focused on the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake that leveled the city after just 10 seconds of violent shaking. We asked a lady if we were on the right track, she was surprised that we were walking all that way, but she confirmed that we were at least walking in the right direciton. Later, we asked a worker at a gas station, who also expressed surprise at our choice of transportation. Finally, a bus passenger told us we had better take a train. So we bit the bullet and walked to a station and rode one station further to walk five minutes to the museum, barely making the cutoff for the final admit of the day.

Inside, they start you with a video display of the quake, showing images of its fury from a variety of locations, adding to the mix piercing sounds or screams, crumbling buildings and sirens. Next, you watch some video of the aftermath, with narration by one of the survivors, who lost her sister to the quake. Translations are provided in multiple languages via tiny portable earphone devices.

Next, a huge room has loads of photos from the aftermath and the years of recovery. Some artifacts are also on display, as well as notes and other writings people left about the quake. There was plenty more, but we had to get moving to get back to Yuki's house so I could get moving to Tokyo via night bus.

...

Which brings us back to today. Last night was fun, but boy, nightlife can run up a bill. And being New Year's Eve, we're not about to stay in tonight. We might be going to the very same bar we went to last night.

It's already 4:30ish, so we are going to think about heading out soon (nightlife typically starts arond 6 p.m. in Japan, even thought tonight, the trains are running all night long). But first, I shall rest my eyes.

Kobe

Today Yuki and I are off to Kobe, a neighbor of Osaka, to explore a few points of interest. These include a museum on earthquakes, with focus on the 1995 whopper in Kobe that leveled the city and killed thousands.

After that, we shall head to Kobe's own Chinatown, and then hop down to the waterfront park, a popular tourist destination. To get there, it will be a couple of hours on trains, I think, from Yuki's home north of Osaka but south of Kyoto.

Naturally, I scheduled tonight's night bus from Kyoto, so we will have to come back in time to get out to Kyoto Station in time to find my bus and depart.

No time now to go further. Carry on.

The night time is the right time

Now in Osaka and free from the toils of academia, I was finally allowed to sleep in. Rolling out of bed a few minutes before twelve and hoping the shower for 10 minutes is my kind of morning.

Today will include a drive into Osaka, and perhaps a visit to Osaka Castle. In the evening, I shall be dropped off at a station, take the Keihan line to Kuzuha, and call Yuki's mom, Keiko, for a ride. Yuki will arrive later that evening from work.

Tomorrow, the 29th, I will be with Yuki during the day, but by 9 p.m. I will be at Kyoto Station ready to take a night bus to Tokyo. I considered, briefly, staying in a youth hostel in Osaka instead of taking the 3-day Tokyo trip. But a price compairison showed that going to Tokyo, then back to Nagoya, via night bus, is cheaper, thanks to free lodging in Tokyo at a friend-of-a-friend's house.

The night busses are great because in addition to moving you across the country, the represent a night of lodging. Sure, it is not the finest of accomodations. The bus stops too often at rest areas. There is no drink cart or mid-flight snack. Bus it's cheap. And this is key.

In Tokyo, I will aim to meet up with friends I only got to see briefly during my first stint there. Not sure where I will end up on New Year's Eve. The Japanese often visit shrines or temples to welcome the new year. Many travel, flooding the highways en route to relatives who live outside of the city. I have also been told that in ther un up to the day, some families clean their entire house from top to bottom. We have spring cleaning, which for a college student, conveniently means vacation and thus no time to clean.

FOOD - last night we ate tempura, dropping a variety of foodstuffs right into a fryer on the table. Memo to family - get a fryer and some tempura batter. This was very good.

MONEY - Oh, sweet paycheck. I long for you.

Good day.

Farewell, Nagoya

It is time to bid farewell to Nagoya, a town with quite a lot to see that is majorly dissed in the guidebooks. My guidebook glosses over the city in two lines, saying there is not much to see besides the famous Nagoya Castle. The city -- and the castle -- was leveled during World War II (my friend the Meijo teacher tells me it was home to a missile factor). So the result is heralded urban planning and wider streets. And the streets tend to have names, which can be rare in this country. I have a few ideas of places to go beyond Nagoya Castle, which you can see on the photo page linked to below, but I probably won't have time to go to them. It's the country's fourth largest city, an industrial center with the headquarters for Toyota nearby.

Most of my time here was spent figuring out where I would sleep for the next night. And what I would do for the next day. Most of the uncertainty resulted in me not being able to go out on my own much. In order to find a homestay for the next day, I had to go to the university to find a friend. Poor planning. But I did have fun when I was able to meet friends, and I spoke befor two English classes and met a large group of students bound for a study-abroad at OSU. In addition, I spoke to three English teachers from the west, an American, a Canadian, and an Austraialian. Each offered his perspective on the career, which I am considering as an option for at least a year or two. I sang karaoke in Japan for the first time. I ate sushi that moves around the restaurant on a converyer belt, admittedly, for the second time. I met several families. I took a lesson in Japanese Caligraphy. I went sightseeing with my friend's parents, minus the friend, who I think had a date. I stayed overnight at an English teacher's house, spending time with his wife and two daughers, who speak Japanese and English, as their father is American and their mother in Japanese. I learned a little Nagoya-ben, the local dialect. I experience at mild earthquake in a house built wiht a steal frame. I saw two female college friends went to a comedy show with gush over one particular comedian, checking their makeup before chasing after him and handing him lovenotes that included their phone numbers and drawn, tiny hearts, like something out of junior high. I read half of a huge book. I carried a giant bag on crowded subway trains. I had fun in this place. But it's time to go.

Early Morning Ahead

6:30 a.m. wakeup call.

6:55 a.m. leave Nori's house for the Japan Railway station

7:19 a.m. catch commuter train to Nagoya Station

8:15 a.m. after presumably eating at McDonald's, the first place I spent yen in Nagoya, I depart by bus to Osaka, a three hour highway trip.

12 p.m. Meet Koji at the station ... and then?

I am looking forward to this leg of the trip, because today's host, Nori, has graciously offered his place again on the 2nd, the day before I fly out of Nagoya airport. This means I can pack light and just take my backpack as I go to Osaka, Kyoto and possibly Tokyo within a short period. That Giant Jansport Backpack is too damn heavy. I packed too much. I should I have thought fewer clothing items and more wash cycles. It's not like I have been too busy for that or anything.

Inside the pub

The publog offered a glimpse into my thinking on my night at the izakaya ... but it did no justice to what the experience is really like. I have been to several izakaya since I have been in Japan this time, ranging from those that seem like party halls to those that seem like fancy restaurants.

Right when you walk in, you are greeted by one or more waitresses -- always female -- who smile big and say "irrashymasee!" which means something like "welcome," or, "can I help you?" You will hear this phrase anytime you walk into almost any kind of store in Japan. Even Circle K (of course Japan has Circle K. And 7/11). Anyway -- whomever spots you entering the pub first shouts it -- "irrashymasee" -- and then any other staffer, the male cooks, the female waitresess, repeats it, perhaps adding their own special syllabic emphasis for flare.

At some point, maybe the door, maybe near your seat, you will remove your shoes. You might sit at the bar, or at a table where you sit low on tatami mats around a low table. Or at a western style table. As with any restaurant in Japan, when you're ready to order, you make it known. Maybe you press a call button. Or you shout "sumimasen," the all purpose "excuse me" phrase.

The waitresses, likely running between one place or another, run to your table as soon as they can. You order. Not a full meal, mind you, but whatver you feel like having first. Maybe, some beer and and some french fries. They arrive. They are consumed.

"Sumimasen!" you shout, and the waitress, or perhaps another one, runs over. You order something else, let's say dried squid jerky and another round of beer. The cycle continues. Food, drink, tab. I have noticed that in most cases the tab is split evenly regardless of who had what or who had more fries than the other guy. Not always, but often. Also, on the night of my "welcome party" in Nagoya, a three-izakaya crawl resulting in a massive hangover, I did not pay a dime. That's definitely a nice welcome.

Every night out must end. In Japan, bar nights tend to end sooner than the ones I have in Corvallis. People are midnfull of the last train. So maybe they finish up at 11. Or 12. Some go further, say, 2. But the people fall off the map. Upon the exit, whoever sees you leaving shouts "arigatou gozaimasu" or the past tense "arigatou gozaimashita," and then, you guessed it, everybody else who works there shouts it too. And yes, there is room for personal touch. Personally, I like the one that goes up on the last "a" -- "arigatou gozaimashitaaaaaaa."

Moving on

OK, fine. The Publog was a bit of downer, was it? Really, folks, I am fine. Long days, sometimes, when you travel alone, but I am surviving fine. I am, however, ready to leave Nagoya at once. I scheduled too much time here (and to my credit, a plan to go elsewhere last week fell through because a friend had a sick mother). So tomorrow morning or afternoon or something, I shall ride a bus to Osaka station. I will stay one night with Koji, who I met at OSU and was paired with as a conversation partner (nevermind the fact that we rarely actually met to converse). After that, on the 28th, I will go to Yuki's house for two nights. On the 30th, when Yuki and family go to visit the next generation (her grandmother), I will be forced to move on yet again. Nagoya is out. So it's back to Tokyo. A Japanese friend has set me up with an American friend of his who is a Toyo U. student. Looks like I can stay at this American's house for a couple of nights. Then I will -- again -- ride a night bus back to Nagoya, stay one final night, and fly back to Oregon on the 2nd. I am excited about getting to some other areas, and, right, going back to some places I have been. But Tokyo has many districts I didn't see the first time. The only issue is money. Waiting for that December paycheck. Last working day of the month? Personally, I stopped working weeks ago. I am about to call the governor.

So this is Christmas

PUBLOG

It's Christmas Eve in Japan, a day set aside for couples. If you're single, you're probably at work. Which led to me having nothing to do on this day. So I was invited by a couple of friends to join them at an izakaya, or pub, to celebrate the holiday. Turns out they were working at the pub, and would not be free until after 11 or later. I had nothing to do, so I opted to just go to the pub and wait it out at the bar.

...

The following is taken verbatim from notes entered into my tiny notebook during my hours of alone time at the bar.

4:45 - I arrive through the kitchen, where I jokingly offer to cook. They seat me at the bar. My socks don' match.

4:57 - After switching the music channels, they settle on Brittany Spears: "My lonliness, is killing me ...." Hmm.

5:18 - I try to figure out how to order a white russian. Nakaji (friend and worker at pub) runs around. Customers enter, somebody says "irrashymase" (welcome), then everybody says it too.

5:30 -I order a beer (500 yen) and an onion salad (480 yen). I resolve to drink slowly. Long night ahead. I want to change my socks.

5:35 - Pissed off. I realize I'm reading the Friday Japan Times. It's Saturday.

5:53 - Finish salad. Beer is 50 percent done. Tomomi (another friend and pub employee) arrives.

6:12 - Beer almost gone. I'll be at the bar alone for at least another four hours. At a beer an hour, that's 2000 yen, about $20 ... but, can I manage this liesurely pace? Music - Ace Of Bace, "I saw the sign."

6:30 - Second beer arrives. Party of four exits. Entire staff: "Arigatou gozaimasu" (thanks very much).

6:53 - Japan Times story from London via AP tells the story of Toga, "a 3-month-old jackass penguin" who was discovered missing. What am I gonna do when I finish the paper? The crossword.

7:30 - Travel page was boring . I turn to crossword. Beer almost gone. Number three soon?

7:41 - First potty break. I hope those sandals were in fact for me to use. Third beer on the way. Losing patience. At fish-tale snack. Good with beer.

8:00 - For no apparent reason Tomomi serves me hot green tea. I am NOT paying for that. This crossword is friken hard. I want to ask the guy next to me for help, but he's with his girlfriend and probably doesn't speak English. I long for cheeselogs and movies and couches. What have I done?

8:40 - Sports page. Need beer four. Tea is gone. More food? No.

9:00 - Tea and bathroom break allows for hourly beer to move to top of hour. Easier to remember. More significant. Positive development. Music: Ace of Bace, "I saw the sign." Again. You bastards.

9:30 - New goal ... close the bar. Official motto - finish what your started. Beer is on schedule. After sports, I stare knowingly at the crossword. I consider filling in random letters to make it look like I'm really smart.

9:40 - Running out of newspaper. About to embark on a sports story about an Austrian giant slalom skier.

10:57 - Never ordered fifth beer. I cave, and order water.

11:10 - Water is long gone. I find a picture on my camera from the otehr night of my friend, holding in his hand what might well be a white russian. Could I order via photo?

11:14 - Success.

11:39 - I think about reading "Dilbert" in the Japan Times for a second time, hoping to uncover subtle jokes I missed in the first reading.

11:33 - Has anyone else ever noticed that Dilbert uses a wireless mouse?

11:50 - One of my ankles is old. Oh, right. The socks.

11:57 - Naturally, friend expected at 11:30 still has not shown. I am out of everything, reduced to eating ice cubes. Thankfully, they are free.

12:00 - Christmas morning. Time for a drink to celebrate.

Epilouge --

The no-show friend, it turns out, had to tend to a friend of hers who broke up with her boyfriend on this, Japan's Day of The Couple. After Nakaji gets off work, we are joined by another friend and actually do have some fun at the bar. My tab only comes to under $30. Considering I had dinner and drinks, it doesn't add up. Whatever. At my lodging place, a friend'a floor, I call home to mom. I find out they don't yet have cheeselogs.

Photos

Photos are here -- time for bed.

Click!

Tea vs. Ice

It's a good thing Ryoko's mom brought some hot tea to the car this morning. After breakfast, the TV was showing images of snow-covered roads. Where was this, I asked. Far away. But we went outside, a small dusting of snow was on the ground, and on the cars (that infamous 23 centimeters long since melted). At the car, the windshield wipers were frozen in. The window covered in a layer of ice. No scraper. They tried using their hands. Didn't work. But then came the steaming hot tear. Poured over key places on the windsheld, it melted away the ice. The wipers finally free from their captivity, they pushed away any snow left over.

The snow has picked up. Weather.com says light snow in Nagoya. I say it's a fricken blizzard. And it's cold. And this was the one day this week I opted to not wear the sweatshirt. Just a T-shit and my read coat. Which brings up a fashion note.

Bright colors, such as red and yellow, are not so much common here. I may be the only person in the entire nation wearing a red coat. Or the only person wearing clothing from Columbia Sportswear.

Ah well, as I've said, I stand out anyway. Today, after a morning English class in which we watched the end of "Waterloo Bridge," a really old movie, I went to a really long lunch. Then, at 4:30, I spoke before 30-some students who will come to OSU in February for a breif study abroad.

That's the day. Then we ice skated (drove) back to Ryoko's condo, in a tower in the heart of the city.

Tomororw is questionable. The students don't have class, but nobody is, apprently, available to do anything.

On Christmas Eve, I shall go with a few friends to an izakaya, or pub. Christmas Eve is a huge day for couples in Japan. They go to firework shows, amusement parks, or nice restaurants. This time they might consider staying in, because of the ice storm.

Single people are left to be creative. Our creativity does not reach further than the pub. I support this. Excellent food. Expensive beer. Merry Christmas.

Down Time

One wonders what I expected when I made plans to visit my Meijo University friends while they still have school every day. And part time jobs. And boyfriends or girlfriends. And tests.

The days are long, so far each weekday spent at the university campus. On Monday, I went to an English class with some friends. Because of the 23 centemeters of snow, only about 10 of the 30 students showed. The teacher, a guy from Austrailia, asked if I wanted to be a part of class. Like at Bunkyo Univeristy near Tokyo, in this class I introduced myself, answered questions, and asked the students questions. Then it was the classic "free day" we all loved in high school -- sensei put on a movie (Meet The Parents), the students could study (not many did), or go to the library to check out a book for that book report with the looming deadline.

Come to think of it, that sounds an awful lot like high school in the U.S.A. A lot of things about college in Japan seem that way. Cliques. Cafeteria food. Goofing off in the halls in between classes.

As for me, a lot of reading. Watching people who are clearly watching me (I kind of stand out). Surprising friends who do not know I am even in the country (in all, there are about 80 students at Meijo who I would recognize well and who would definitely recognize me, these being the ones I lived with in the dorms for the past two summers at OSU. Countless others who have exchanged at OSU for a term during the school year might recognize me from seeing me on campus ... but at OSU ... I do not stand out at all).

So I read. Reading a book about Mike Royko, the famous Chicago columnist. Finished a book (finally) by NPR's Anne Garrels, who covered the Iraq war and its aftermath. Other books are on standby.

What did I expect? I guess I didn't think about the long days of nothingness. But really it is tolerable. So I do not complain. I see friends in the hall ... we chat, they go to class. Just like high school. Except that I do not have class. No complaints there. I walk around, look at the campus, the main tower, the surrounding brick buildings, the walkways, the students. The view ... the miles of homes and buildings, the hillside cemetary right next door. The sounds ... cleaning crews, vending machine refiller people, Japanese voices I cannot undertand.

And the reading.

Plus, tomorrow, I have booked a gig. Sitting around talking with a firend on campus Tuesday, I ran into one of Meijo's English teachers, who hails from Eugene and was a chaperone with the Oregon groups. He set up a visit to a class filled with the next group of Meijo students comming to Oregon. That is at 4:30 tomororw. I go to campus at 10 a.m. I guess I shall grab a book.

---

Schedule notes -- Planned to go to Osaka this week to visit a friend there, but his mother got sick and that was scrapped. Going to Kyoto by next Wednesday. Not sure where I shall be for New Years Eve, maybe Kyoto, maybe Nagoya again. Dec.3 is my departure day, leaving Tokyo at around 4 p.m. and arriving in Portland at about 7 a.m. Dec. 3, finally stealing back that day I lost on the 12th.

To come --

more pictures, I promise (not today)

Christmas is for couples; singles to gather at pub (and other holiday notes)

Key words in Japanese (including the "anything is OK" phrase that never works.)

Stay tuend.

Shodo Party

A couple family members have requested more pictures. I have plenty loaded up on my digital camera, but the problem is getting them onto a computer to upload to the Internet. I have been staying with a different friend each night which means I cannot establish any kind of routine. There is no down time, everything is new, my hosts feel they need to always be entertaining me. Hard to complain though.

So as soon as I can access a computer that has the capability to take in the cameras from Dad's Kodak EasyShare digital camera, I shall post them.

---

Last night I stayed at a friend's home, located in Mie, the prefecture neighboring Nagoya. An hour long train ride -- at about $10 -- took us to the rural area. The house felt more like a compound, not huge, but not the tiny size of apartmetns I have been seeing most days. At the home, my friend's mom had dinner waiting. Oops. I had eaten out earlier in the evening. But this was a time when it was necessary to eat again. So I did. I made sure to finish up what I was served, but then I made it clear ... "Onaka ga ipai," or, "I'm full."

When my friend's dad came home, we broke out the beer. Plenty of it. We talked about Japan, about Oregon, about snow. We all got along quite well. Later, friend's sister brought up Shodo --Japanese caligraphy. Instead of trying to explain it, she opted to go get the material, load up the ink and just show me. This led to quite a demonstration, and then, of course, it was my turn to try. They taught me the Kanji character for "friend," pronounced, "tomo" the word is "tomodatci"). I sat in the proper way, knees bent, concentrated, steadied by beer-altered balance, and went to make my strokes. One, across. Two, down. Three, around. Finally, down again. Done. They praise me, saying it is very good. I know it is not. But I accept the compliment, as it is my first real attempt at this art form. They let me keep the paper I have drawn on, calling it a gift. The father laughs, and says that it is not a gift, because I drew it. Drink up, they say. I do.

And the "Shodo party" is over.

Nagoya Goes White

Twenty-three centimeters of snow have joined us in Nagoya. In America speak, that is ... figure it out for yourself. What is it ... 2.54 cm to an inch? Anyway. A lot of snow. And it is cold. About to visit Meijo U. today ... not sure what the plan is there.

Snow started yesterday afternoon as flurries. By mid afternoon it was a all out snow shower, which never real let up until late and has picked up this morning.

Do not have much time at the moment, so I shall close with this winter haiku
(not a Christmas haiku, so as to avoid offending anybody) Happy holidays.

Nagoya has snow
I will go throw some at cars
And eat some chicken

Fear and loathing at McDonalds

I do not reccomend Nagoya station at 5:30 a.m. My overnight bus from Tokyo made the trip in half an hour shorter than expected. I did sleep, not well, on the bus, which seemed to every hour for potty breaks I personally didn't need. At the station, not a damn thing was open. And my call to friend was not answered or returned. So I found the luggage storage compartment area, shoved my giant jansport bag in there, and walked around. I found a large row of shops ... all closed. A convenience store ... closed. A McDonald's ... closed ... wait ... open at 6:30! I made it my goal to be the first customer of the day at that McDonald's (or Maku, as they call it here). But I failed. I was not paying attention ... looking the other way ... reading The Japan Times ... and right behind my back a massive line was forming, and my goal was out the window. Finally the doors opened and the line started moving. The Japanese Micky Ds is much better than the U.S. version. It's fast. It's clean. The staff goes out of its way to help you, whether by opening the door for you as you enter or by taking your tray from the tabale when you finish. And they at least seem to care if we are satisfied customers. I wonder what explains the difference.

On one of these many "no plan" days in Nagoya, maybe I should spend all day in a McDonalds ... eat three meals there ... observe. Take notes. Photos. Take it all in. Total coverage.

I'd probably be arrested.

...
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) -- A U.S. citizen claiming to be a tourist visiting friends in Japan has been arrested by authorities as a suspected spy. Daniel Bryan Traylor, 22, reportedly was found staking out a Nagoya McDonald's, taking photos of the employees and writing detailed notes in a tiny, green notebook said to be full of strange entries.

Traylor reportedly struggled with Japanese police, who observed his behavior from across the street for three hours before gaining approval to make the arrest. Traylor, who speaks limited Japanese, beleived the police to be parking lot guides.

The Japanese government said it will detain Traylor, who is now in jail in an undisclosed location, until the investigation is complete. While no formal charges have been filed, authorities said the case was so unusual that it warrented special attention.

"His notebook is full of odd references to McDonald's," said Nogya Police spokesman Hiroshi Yamamoto. "It even notes the Nagoya Station location, which suggests that he may have been coordinating some kind of attack."

Stuart Holcomb, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, said Japan is right to err on the side of caution as the world is on high alert for terrorism.

Quick Hits

THE PLANE RIDE -- I sad next to David, from San Francisco, who is blind. I didn't realize this at first, so when I arrived at my row, and I had to get to the window seat when he was in the aisle, I thought it odd that he did not even try to make room for me or offer to get up. And was was he doing with that thing on his lap? It was some kind of machine ... a tape player? He was wearing headphones, and every few seconds, the machine would click, or he would say something to himself. Not sure ... I was trying not to stare. Oh ... and what was that thing folded up in the pouch of the seat in front with the red ball on it? And why did a flight attendent breif him on the exits, which she said was required by the FAA? Then it hit me. After exchanging hellos, his hand brushed acorss the screen on the seat in front of him. And he said, "Oh, they have screens here huh?" Blind. Right. Idiot! I should have figured that one out sooner. After all, before anyone boarded, a blind man was led onto the plane. I'll just say I was tired.

NARITA EXPRESS -- This is one way to get from the airport to inner Tokyo. It costs about $30 and it was not too hard to find a ticket counter or the correct platform. There are plenty of signs in English, and to be sure, I double checked by asking other riders or station staff if I was in the right place.

RENTAL CELL PHONE -- I ordered a rental cell phone via the Internet when I was back in Oregon, and I had it shipped to a post office at the airport. It was very easy to find the correct post office and the phone was waiting for me. Once at the Narita Express platform, it proved useful to call the person I was meeting in Tokyo. Overal, I am glad I have the phone. I have been going around a lot on my own, and without the phone, I would not be able to coordiate meetups with people.

SHINJUKU - The biggest train station in Tokyo and a major disctirct for shopping, business, and risky nightlife. Because I learned how to kind-of navigate this place, and how to get here from where I was staying, it became my main meeting place in Tokyo. I did not really do any shopping here, but I did browse some electronics stores and clothing stores. Lots of interesting fashion choices, including mens coats with furry, puffy collars. A friend of mine said he likes the style. All I can say is that the puffy stuff feels like it would be warm.

TODAY - I am going to, you guessed it, Shinjuku, with all of my luggage, to meet my friends from Toyo University. These were students in yet another conversation group. I will hopefully go from Shinjuku to Tokyo Station where hopefully I will find a place to store my luggage until the evening. At 11 p.m. I will be back at the station to go to the meeting place for my overnight bus to Nagoya. The six hour trip will hopefully be marked by sleep. I will be in Nagoya at about 6 a.m., and, as far as I know, too early to meet any friends. So I will probably wait it out there until somebody can come grab me. Who knows.

FINALLY - Send money at once.

Special Surprise

Shiho and I got on the bus at the stop near her apartment, en route to Bunkyo University. It was packed. There was barely enough room for me to stand on the step leading to the main level of seating. So that's where I stood. Then, a voice said, "Dan?"

Sure enough, I had run right into Aya Sato, a Bunkyo student who studied at OSU for a term. She was a coversation partner with a friend of mine, so I was often in on the coversation group. What a shocker. "Bikuri sitta" we both declared. It means, "I was surprised." So we caught up on the ride to campus, where I would spend the day as a visitor, saying hi to former conversants and just looking around.

...

I always knew I was special. I was announced as a special guest for the three classes I sat in on at Bunkyo. In the first, a class focused on interpetation of English and Japanese, I participated. First, I gave a breif introduction about myself in English. Then, when I thought I was about to sit down, I was asked by the teacher to give the speech again, this time pausing after a sentence or two, so the teacher could call on a scared-to-death student to translate what I had said into "good" Japanese.

The campus of Bunkyo reminds me of a big city high school. A few brick buildings laid on a small patch of suburbian land, serviced by a bus terminal but no room for parking. It really was nice looking thouhg, but it is nothing like the giant campus of OSU.

Because Bunkyo does not have any exchange students from the states, I stood out a bit, and some stares came my way. Many students recognized me, because Bunkyo has a exchange program at OSU throught the English Language Institute, where I work in addition to the newspaper.

Memos to Mom

Why write a whole new post when I just wrote to Mom?

Hi Mom!I am in fact on the campus of Bunkyo University right now. I am
sitting in a computer lab. Lots of students around. Some probably wonder who the
hell I am. Shiho introduced me to a few of them. The teacher is not here yet,
and that should be an interesting introduction. I wonder if I will be giving a
speech or something. Anything could happen. Shiho just ran out to copy
something. I am online -- an all Japanese version of online -- just cruising.
College is fun! Dan

Finally, a real post

The first round of photos are online. Click here for page with all of them along with brief captions.

Went to Shinjuku again today, because host Shiho and club sports committments and I planned to visit friend Mari later in the day in Shinjuku. On my own, thanks to a hand-drawn guide from Shiho (at right), I made it from way out in the suburbs to Shinjuku, and then back home again at about 11 p.m. In the city, I went to the Shinjuku Imperial Gardens, a nice break from the urban jungle and the never-ending mass of people. Then, I tried to find a shrine noted in a guidebook, and failed. So I moved to the next spot on the walking tour featured in the guidebook.

But I could not find it. Street signs are scarce here, if the the street is so lucky as to even get a name. But a woman who saw me looking sideways at my guidebook asked if I needed help, and she pointed me in the direction I had been comming. I went that way, but I did not, of course, immediately find the shrine. So I threw in the towel.

I found a coffee shop that looked like it would have room for me to open up The Daily Yomuri newspaper and just sit for a while. Which was fun. Then I walked around the corner and found that I could not get back to the street I thought I wanted. Good thing I did not want that one after all. I walked about 1o steps and found the shrine I had been looking for. Because it was dark, most of my photos did not turn out.

It was then time to call Mari to meet at Shinjuku, which I knew was somewhere over ... there. Right. I asked a parking-garage worker, who pointed vaguely in the direction I had been walking. Then, instinct had me follow the crowd, the lights, and the big buildings. At a huge crossing, waiting for the green signal, I asked a girl if Shijuku-eki (station) was indeed around here. She pointed straight ahead. Right. I totally knew that.

So I called Mari and told her I was near the big screen thingy. She asked if it was the ALTA building. Yep. She knew where I was, fortunately. We went to her apartment after a short train, and then, when her dad came home, we went out for Yakiniku, a sort of barbeque that can be done inside. They bring you raw meet, usually beef, and you chopstick it onto a grill on the table. Add beer, and you have a meal.

Then, at the apartment again, we talked for a few minutes and had a glass of Chivas Regal whiskey before I had to head back to catch the express train back to the suburbs.

A nice day.

Tomorrow -- I will be a guest in classe at Bunkyo University, where Shiho goes to school.

To the city

My Tokyo-area host, Shiho, has to go to her campus today for a tennis club meeting, so I shall venture to the inner city on my own. A complicated system of busses and trains will be required, and an equallty complicated hand-drawn map will guide me. I am going back to Shinjuku, where I met Shiho last night. There, I will just look around, perpaps taking in some of the touristy sights. In the early evening I will meet another friend for dinner. Time to go to the bus stop! Pictures to come, I promise.

Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

I cannot really find the energy to string together rational, cohearant thoughts right now. The 10-plus hour flight, followed by the hour-plus train ride to Shinjuku, followed by the hour-plus train ride to whatever town I am now, followed by dinner, followed by a bus ride with more people on a bus than I have seen since high school sports -- all of those things -- have taxed me beyond blogability. I have some photos to post, nothing great, so I will wait until another day. I need some sleep. Tomorrow the plan is ... up in the air until the evening, when somehow, I will get to a place to meet my friend to have some dinner.

Good night, and good luck.

On the road ...

They warn you not to lock your knees as you stand at attention as a groomsman at a wedding. You could pass out. Ruin the ceremony. Hit your head on a Bible. Not good for anybody. So that was all I could think about as my good pal from high school exchanged vows with his girlfriend of six years, his high school sweetheart. I shifted to the right. To the left. I felt like I was performing a dance up there.

Fortunately, I'm guessing nobody was looking at me. After all, the bridesmaides were very pretty, and the bride herself was, you know, striking.

So after three days of non-stop wedding-party participation, which saw me decorating a hall for the first time since junior prom, I've moved back into travel mode.

Right now, I'm all packed up, waiting for Mom to get out of the shower and pack so we can get on the road from Pendleton to Portland. We'll stay at a motel near the airport tonight, and I'll check in with Northwest Airlines some time between eight and nine in the morning. Flight takes off after noon, touches down in Tokyo a day later at 4 p.m., and then it's all up in the air.

Will I get lost in Shinjuku, said to be once of the busiest transportation stations on earth? Will my giant Jansport backpack hold together? There's no telling.

But that's the fun of it.

Ima Nanji Desuka?

I've switched my settings to Japan time. Fine, maybe a bit early. One week from now I'll be in Tokyo.

Here's a quick way to figure it out -- if it's ６ p.m. in the U.S., add five and switch to A.M. So 7 p.m. becomes 11 a.m. (Note: this changes with daylight savings and all of that. For part of the year you just add four hours and switch the A.M/P.M.

I have already started sleeping during the day -- but that's because it's finals week, which for me, means vacation, because it's the one week of the term we do not publish at The Daily Barometer

Now, a Japanese lesson, which step-sister Jenny can repeat with ease, while mother cannot --

What time is it?
"Ima, nanji desu ka?"

Ima 今 - Now
Nan 何　－What
Ji　時　－Signifies time
Desu　です　－Grammar thing, hard to explain
Ka　か　－Signifies question

Got it?

Instant Museum

Yes, of course, Dan, there is a Ramen Museum in Yokohama. It's called the "Shinyokohama Raumen Museum," says Japan-Guide.com, and I intend to visit.

Among other exciting features, the museum, "displays the variety of noodles, soups, toppings and bowls used across Japan, and shows how the noodles are made," the site says.

Unfortunately, I can't get the offical English Web site to work, and the Japanese version has a scary picture front and center.

So for now I don't have the slightest idea what it costs to learn the history of Ramen. But honestly, I would pay nearly any price for some delicious noodles.

EDITED TO ADD:

A quick Web search turned up a nice write-up on the museum, which puts the admission at roughly $3. But if I actually want to eat some Ramen, the cost is closer to $9. Oh well, it must be worth it. Right? After all, notes this Web site, "The historical development of instant ramen is painstakingly chronicled, and the invention of cup ramen (the kind where you pour boiling water directly into a styrofoam cup) is celebrated as the dramatic technological achievement it most certainly was."

What a fine world we live in.

Do the math ... or ... sleep on the bus

Naturally, my friends who live near each other cannot best host me at around the same time. So here's a running plan that takes me from home base Nagoya to Osaka and back, then later, Kyoto and back, on two seperate trips. I've broken it down based on two primary travel options -- train or bus. Now, let's not get excited about the train -- I cannot afford the shinkansen, or, bullet train (pictured at right), that takes me comfortably from city to city at awesome speeds. No, I am limited to trains that stop at roughly every exit, thanks to the potential purchase of the Seishun 18 Kippu, a seasonal discount train pass. The pass works like this: It offers five days of travel, consecutive or non-consecutive, on limited trains across Japan. It costs about $95.One way to break it down is like this, each number being one 24-hour period of travel -

1. TOKYO to NAGOYA (6 + hours)

2. NAGOYA to OSAKA (not so long)

3. OSAKA back to NAGOYA

4. NAGOYA to KYOTO

5. KYOTO back to NAGOYA

Then there's our friend the bus -- (got an e-mail just now, seats are available):

Tokyo to Nagoya - $30 , night, Orion 6.5 hours

Nagoya to Osaka – round trip $37

Nagoya Kyoto – roun trip $33

At a total of $100.

So for five more dollars, I ride a bus. Admittedly not as cool-sounding as trains, but also, I would not have to deal with 3 train-changes on the commuter trains.

Of course ... I could just rearrange one friend's visit and merge the Kyoto and Osaka visits to one round trip, saving a little money and time. Hmmmm.

I could just forget the entire trip, too. Mom argues that despite having already spent $600 on the ticket, I'd save several hundred more by just not going.

Good try, Mom. I'll bring you back some expensive sake.

Be Afraid

"Please be afraid," warns the Orion bus company's English Web site, "of talking on your mobile phone on bus."

Noted. I'll be sure to bring the fear.

Bus travel in Japan can be cheap compared to trains and planes. I can get from Tokyo to Nagoya, overnight, for roughly $35 on the Orion bus, assuming I can get a seat reserved in time.

This is yet another possible plan for getting around Japan - the highway bus system. While the cost of using the special discount train system called the Seishun Juhachi Kippu turns up cheaper, that plan invovles lots of changing trains on a day-time trip. With the bus I have in mind, I can take an overnight route for not much more cash. Then, once in Nagoya, if I feel like I'll have a lot more train trips, maybe I'll by the Juhachi Kippu. Or maybe I'll go bus again.

I have emailed the bus company, but they're nowhere near as fast to reply as the cell phone company. Perhaps I'll give them a call.

---

Meanwhile, I called a phone number I tracked down for friend Maki and gave it call thinking it was her cell phone. It was not. What must have been her dad answered. I looked again -- home number. I shifted to Japanese. I was able to tell her dad that I was from OSU, and he seemed to make the connection. I told him my name. He repeated it. I said "raishyuu, Tokyo ni ikiumasu," which means, "I'm comming to Tokyo next week." He understood that fact. He said lots of things in Japanese that I didn't understand. However, I gathered that at least for now, Maki might be in Hawaii. Right. Back to ground zero there. Bye, I said. Thankyou very much (arigatou gozaimasu).

The Phone

After some e-mailing back-and-forth with the Rentafone Japan team, I have secured a rental phone to use for the entire length of my trip.

I picked the top-quality one, because, the Web site said it was the best for picture taking. That sounded important to me.

After determining -- or rather, letting them determine, whether I was arriving at Terminal One or Terminal Two of Narita Airport in Tokyo, I've set up for the phone to be waiting for me at an airport post office (郵便局).

I'll be able to send e-mail from the phone to this blog, I think ... I hope. Pictures can be taken by the phone, but I sure as hell don't know how to get them to this blog. I'm not sure if they are compatible. But I'll also have Dad's digital camera and friends with computers. So pictures will be included here.

Anyway, I already have a phone number set up, so if you're my friend email me at dantraylor@gmail.com and I'll spread the numbers.

The Cast

The list of people I would like to visit while in Japan is growing -- and it's certainly not all inclusive. I've worked for two years in a row with programs that have had about 40 students each from Meijo University. There will be no way that I can see all of them ... and I'm already struggling with some of the names I had down just a few months ago when they were here and I lived with them in CAuthorn Hall.

But the list, in no particular order, follows:

Mari Kato - she was at OSU for one year as an exchange student. She ended up working at the Barometer, writing a couple of well-done stories, including one about student who is currently serving in Iraq. She lives in Tokyo and we plan to meet at some point.

Shiho Kobayashi - A student from Bunkyo University near Tokyo who came to OSU with a special program last year. She and another student became my conversation partners. We met weekly to talk about whatever, grab coffee (lots of that) and just hang out. Shiho has graciously offered up her apartment as a place of lodging for the Tokyo leg of the trip.

Yusuke - He was my other conversant from the Bunkyo program last year. I cannot find his family name for some reason. He was a very quiet kid, but he definitely changed after being at OSU for a term. He seemed more open and more talkative toward the end of his time in Corvallis. I hope that can extend to my visit.

Mikako and Daichi - She and he were my Bunkyo conversants from the year before Shiho and Yusuke. I hope to find some time to see them soo. They were a very fun group, both outgoing, and I'm glad to have a chance to meet them again.

Yuka - She studied at OSU's English Language Institute, where I work as a writing and pronunciation assistant, for a term before moving on to grad school at Texas A&M. She will get to Tokyo for her vacation on the 17th, so I'm going to have to be creative if I want to have a chance to see her.

Koji - He is my current conversation partner. But we were very bad at actually meeting up. I guess we were both busy and sort of drifted into a habit of just not meeting. But I'll get his contact info and hopefully we can meet up in Tokyo.

Kazushi - He was another ELI student from a few terms ago. He moved on to California and then back to Japan. I beleive he's living in Osaka now, where I'll go on the later part of my trip.

Miyuki -- She was good friends with Kazushi and I had a lot of fun joking around with her. She is now in Osaka or Kobe or something and I'm excited to see her.

Taiichi - I met him during my first term at OSU when I lived in West Hall. I stayed in touch with him over the terms, and he's now a grad student, married, and in Japan for a while. He's also in Osaka. He has offered to host me in Osaka and take me to his current job at an elementary school for a visit.

Kaori - She was another ELI student ... she lives somewhere past Fukuoka, far off to the south in Japan, and I'm not sure if i'll make it that far, to be honest. But i'd love to see her and see a new place. This trip just might be a candidate for my last discount-ticket trip.

Maki - This brings us back to Tokyo - Maki is a Toyo University student (maybe graduated) she was on an OSU program when I was working with the 2004 Meijo group. She and I were conversants for a couple weeks because I filled in for somebody. She's a wonderful friend and very smart. I have not been able to get ahold of her yet, but I'm gonna try my best to reach her so I can see her in Tokyo.

Yuki Nakagawa and family - And this takes us back to the beginning, sort of. I met Yuki in high school and became good friends. I went to visit her and family twice, but of late, we havn't remained in very close contact. Still, I plan to visit the family for a day or two. (Yuki is in the photo above, on the right, eating something involving seaweed and rice.)

And don't forget the 40 Meijo students from the 2005 program, and the 40 students from the 2004 program. We'll see how many of them I can track down.

This should be interesting.

Timeline: Final exams on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday -- travel to Eastern Oregon, be in friend's wedding on Saturday, buy gifts on Sunday, and on Monday, fly to Japan.