Here is a small video of the buttons you should press if you want regular gas to fill the tank. Enjoy.
"How To" Get Gas In Japan Video
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
The 7 hour drive
The story of the 7 hour drive from Sendai.
I had decided to join a friend on a small trip to Sendai to pick up his sister. After a full day of training for work in for me and a day of running around doing errands for him in Morioka, we started our journey. Now, getting down there we took the way with no tolls and while we had a small detour it had been quite successful trip to Sendai.
Sendai in my mind is like a mini Tokyo with small traces of western influences. Overall I found it pleasant to walk around, despite the allergies that suddenly flooded my nostrils. After we had found his sister, we ate at Mos Burger and proceeded to make our way back to the little city of Miyako. We decided to drive up the eastern coast since it was only a 4.5 hour drive with no tolls, since he had driven down I offered to drive back up.
Now the rainy season had decided to come in late this year. Instead of May/June of rain, it had been tail end of June and has rained throughout July. Japan, due to its makeup of the soil, is prone to mud slides and sometimes mini floods or raging rivers more so during this time of year. Our first mistake was underestimating the power of mother nature.
3 hours into the drive back home, we encounter a road block. As the worker looks into our car full of surprise to see a group of Gaijin (foreigners) so late at night driving (it was 2am or so I believe), we are informed in broken English and Japanese that the we cannot cross the bridge. The road worker proceeds to then discuss on the radio if anyone knows English in which a loud cry of "EH!?!? EIGO DESU?!?!?!" from his coworkers is heard through the radio. My friend and I chuckle to each other as we over hear them converse about us and saying they haven't studied English in a while.
At this point there is three different options since we are driving through the mountains, my friend asks the worker in Japanese if we can take a right to go onto the other road. Nope. Now we have two options. At this point, my friend decides to drive because honestly I had been driving slow since it had been my first time driving his car on an unfamiliar path (my driving in Japan is a different story entirely for another time).
We proceed with option two to make a Uturn, back track then try a different route slightly more inland than cross over back to the coastal route. My friend had been up since 6am, making sure his apartment was ready for his sister then driving 2 hours to Morioka to run around to do errands then had driven 4 hours to Sendai. My friend's sister had been traveling for more than 20 hours. I had been up since 6am had gone into the city early for training all day for work then had proceed to ride along 4 hours to Sendai then drive from there for another 3 hours. I had at the point had my hard contacts (literally fiber glass in my eyes) in for more than 20 hours, one of them had scratched my eye when it had moved earlier thus I was in a lot of pain.
Needless to say, we were all very tired when we hit our second road block.
We were left with only one option, go all the way back inland to the express way and drive up to Morioka then go our usual route to Miyako. While it was nice to see some beautiful scenery in the wee hours of the morning, we honestly could have cared less. Nothing sounded better than sleep.
And that is how a 4.5 hour drive from Sendai became a 7 hour drive.
I had decided to join a friend on a small trip to Sendai to pick up his sister. After a full day of training for work in for me and a day of running around doing errands for him in Morioka, we started our journey. Now, getting down there we took the way with no tolls and while we had a small detour it had been quite successful trip to Sendai.
Sendai in my mind is like a mini Tokyo with small traces of western influences. Overall I found it pleasant to walk around, despite the allergies that suddenly flooded my nostrils. After we had found his sister, we ate at Mos Burger and proceeded to make our way back to the little city of Miyako. We decided to drive up the eastern coast since it was only a 4.5 hour drive with no tolls, since he had driven down I offered to drive back up.
Now the rainy season had decided to come in late this year. Instead of May/June of rain, it had been tail end of June and has rained throughout July. Japan, due to its makeup of the soil, is prone to mud slides and sometimes mini floods or raging rivers more so during this time of year. Our first mistake was underestimating the power of mother nature.
3 hours into the drive back home, we encounter a road block. As the worker looks into our car full of surprise to see a group of Gaijin (foreigners) so late at night driving (it was 2am or so I believe), we are informed in broken English and Japanese that the we cannot cross the bridge. The road worker proceeds to then discuss on the radio if anyone knows English in which a loud cry of "EH!?!? EIGO DESU?!?!?!" from his coworkers is heard through the radio. My friend and I chuckle to each other as we over hear them converse about us and saying they haven't studied English in a while.
At this point there is three different options since we are driving through the mountains, my friend asks the worker in Japanese if we can take a right to go onto the other road. Nope. Now we have two options. At this point, my friend decides to drive because honestly I had been driving slow since it had been my first time driving his car on an unfamiliar path (my driving in Japan is a different story entirely for another time).
We proceed with option two to make a Uturn, back track then try a different route slightly more inland than cross over back to the coastal route. My friend had been up since 6am, making sure his apartment was ready for his sister then driving 2 hours to Morioka to run around to do errands then had driven 4 hours to Sendai. My friend's sister had been traveling for more than 20 hours. I had been up since 6am had gone into the city early for training all day for work then had proceed to ride along 4 hours to Sendai then drive from there for another 3 hours. I had at the point had my hard contacts (literally fiber glass in my eyes) in for more than 20 hours, one of them had scratched my eye when it had moved earlier thus I was in a lot of pain.
Needless to say, we were all very tired when we hit our second road block.
We were left with only one option, go all the way back inland to the express way and drive up to Morioka then go our usual route to Miyako. While it was nice to see some beautiful scenery in the wee hours of the morning, we honestly could have cared less. Nothing sounded better than sleep.
And that is how a 4.5 hour drive from Sendai became a 7 hour drive.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Tokyo Part 01 (FINALLY)
Finally, this is first part of a long post I have promised to all those interested sprinkled with pictures to at least keep you somewhat entertained if you don't feel like reading the text.
My first day in Tokyo was, needless to say, quite interesting. As I had mentioned earlier, in an attempt to save money, I decided to walk to Akihabara from Asakusa. Now this is a 30 min. walk with a map, however I wasn't in any rush to get there thus I decided to just start walking in the direction I thought was Akihabara. I think the best way to get to know a city is getting lost. Especially in Tokyo because if it becomes too much for you just head to the nearest train station, which are everywhere, and you'll be able to find a subway map or an attendant who can direct you to anywhere in the city. Also 7-11 are good with directions to train stations or major sites. During this time, I discovered that my favorite part of Tokyo is the alley ways. Within these small streets are markets, shrines and restaurants you wouldn't see by taking the main roads. It brings to mind the poem by Robert Forst in which he says, "I took the road less taken and it has made all the difference."
Here are some photos of some small alleys in Tokyo:
After about an hour and a half of walking in a general direction, I arrived at Akihabara. Anime or game Otaku, this is the place for you. Now, there is a lot of stuff here but all very packed within a small radius. Again, small alleys have loads of little shops with small figures for $5, card shops FILLED with YuGiOh cards, mini arcades, pachinko, a wall of little machines for phone charms, etc. However, there is nothing like walking into a building with 7 floors of arcade games or everything anime related.
Here are some examples of buildings and such:
I got to go into one of the SEGA arcades. Now, if you are a fighting game guru or fan, this is the place to be. However, many seem to prefer to stick to 2D fighters and Tekken rather then Street Fighter. Although I would be highly intrigued to see my good friend Lamar take on some of the players I did see on Street Fighter, I also wouldn't mind checking out how my peeps in San Francisco stacked against the players here in Tokyo. One of the highlights in the arcade was seeing a 8 year old kid completely own the Tako Drum Game (the video is down below). Now, when you see a small kid bring his own set of sticks and completely blow away the score of a 21 year old guy, you know you are in Akihabara, Japan. Another popular game currently in the arcades in the Gundam MMO that they basically have, it seems like LOADS of fun as a Gundam fan but as I was on a budget and had already spent my arcade money on Persona 4 and Street Fighter could not play. This brings me to my next point, keep an eye on your wallet at the arcade. The arcades are windowless, mostly a $1.05 per plat and if you are a really good player will take you far but if you suck (like I do) 20 min. later you can be $11 down the hole. It is easy to get sucked in and lose track in time. However, the fruit of victory is sweet.
Here is some pictures of the inside of some of the arcades:
A very particular thing that you can find in Tokyo is maid cafes. There are maids that advertise their cafes EVERYWHERE. Seriously, just walking down one street I found 7 of them! Now they'll always reject photos but I managed to get a snap shot of one from behind secretly (sorry maid girl!) It doesn't show her face so it shouldn't be a problem right?
Well, this raps it up for part 01 of my time in Tokyo. Sorry this is so late but there is a lot write about and admittedly I am quite lazy...
My first day in Tokyo was, needless to say, quite interesting. As I had mentioned earlier, in an attempt to save money, I decided to walk to Akihabara from Asakusa. Now this is a 30 min. walk with a map, however I wasn't in any rush to get there thus I decided to just start walking in the direction I thought was Akihabara. I think the best way to get to know a city is getting lost. Especially in Tokyo because if it becomes too much for you just head to the nearest train station, which are everywhere, and you'll be able to find a subway map or an attendant who can direct you to anywhere in the city. Also 7-11 are good with directions to train stations or major sites. During this time, I discovered that my favorite part of Tokyo is the alley ways. Within these small streets are markets, shrines and restaurants you wouldn't see by taking the main roads. It brings to mind the poem by Robert Forst in which he says, "I took the road less taken and it has made all the difference."
Here are some photos of some small alleys in Tokyo:
After about an hour and a half of walking in a general direction, I arrived at Akihabara. Anime or game Otaku, this is the place for you. Now, there is a lot of stuff here but all very packed within a small radius. Again, small alleys have loads of little shops with small figures for $5, card shops FILLED with YuGiOh cards, mini arcades, pachinko, a wall of little machines for phone charms, etc. However, there is nothing like walking into a building with 7 floors of arcade games or everything anime related.
Here are some examples of buildings and such:
I got to go into one of the SEGA arcades. Now, if you are a fighting game guru or fan, this is the place to be. However, many seem to prefer to stick to 2D fighters and Tekken rather then Street Fighter. Although I would be highly intrigued to see my good friend Lamar take on some of the players I did see on Street Fighter, I also wouldn't mind checking out how my peeps in San Francisco stacked against the players here in Tokyo. One of the highlights in the arcade was seeing a 8 year old kid completely own the Tako Drum Game (the video is down below). Now, when you see a small kid bring his own set of sticks and completely blow away the score of a 21 year old guy, you know you are in Akihabara, Japan. Another popular game currently in the arcades in the Gundam MMO that they basically have, it seems like LOADS of fun as a Gundam fan but as I was on a budget and had already spent my arcade money on Persona 4 and Street Fighter could not play. This brings me to my next point, keep an eye on your wallet at the arcade. The arcades are windowless, mostly a $1.05 per plat and if you are a really good player will take you far but if you suck (like I do) 20 min. later you can be $11 down the hole. It is easy to get sucked in and lose track in time. However, the fruit of victory is sweet.
Here is some pictures of the inside of some of the arcades:
A very particular thing that you can find in Tokyo is maid cafes. There are maids that advertise their cafes EVERYWHERE. Seriously, just walking down one street I found 7 of them! Now they'll always reject photos but I managed to get a snap shot of one from behind secretly (sorry maid girl!) It doesn't show her face so it shouldn't be a problem right?
Well, this raps it up for part 01 of my time in Tokyo. Sorry this is so late but there is a lot write about and admittedly I am quite lazy...
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Blitzkrieg ALT Training Week
I said I was going to write more about my time in Tokyo but frankly, this is the first time in a week I have actually even opened my laptop. The reason? Blitzkrieg ALT training. Literally, about 3 days of just intense back to back 12 hour training days. At one point I just burst into tears from the sheer stress of it all (only has happened once before where I have cried from stress). After long days and very little sleep, manage to pull off a 30 minute lesson on my exam day! It was a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to finally pull together a lesson for a JHS, I'm more excited now to go teach and meet my students!
That bring said, this experience also introduced me to a lot of great people too! My hotel mate is wicked cool, it has been great to be able to bounce ideas and share information on what we've learned. I can't really say what the training consists of but I'll ay more when I am well rested and have extra time
That bring said, this experience also introduced me to a lot of great people too! My hotel mate is wicked cool, it has been great to be able to bounce ideas and share information on what we've learned. I can't really say what the training consists of but I'll ay more when I am well rested and have extra time
Friday, March 22, 2013
Get Lost
The best advice I can give you from my first day experience in Tokyo is this: Get Lost. Look at a map, determine the direction you need to go to get to the destination you would like then just go and leave the map behind. Doing this has been very rewarding! I have found several small temples, shrines and interesting little markets off the beaten path. The best thing about Tokyo is the small alley ways. It is amazing what you will find when you take the less direct route. Between the Japanese men in short shorts, Gaijin throwing up in the train, cute Japanese school girls with way too much makeup and beautiful cherry blossoms it has been a very interesting first day. I will post pictures later when I have time but for now off to Ueno Park! Here is a photo from the internet of Ueno Park:
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Terrible Japanese is better than no Japanese
.JPG)
What I quickly learned, to my great relief, is that all the stations had their names in Hiragana and English. This made things significantly easier but I also want to note that knowing the phrase:
"(Place you want to go) doko desu ka?" was very useful in figuring out which platform to take. To be honest, it was very refreshing to see how orderly everything was. Everyone got in lanes on the side and left the middle open for people to get off the train. This was at 9:30pm at night though, I'm sure rush hours are much more chaotic.
"People will stare." That was the most common thing everyone would tell you about being a foreigner in Japan, needless to say that with my three bags I stood out even more than I usually would do. Luckily, I was prepared for this and honestly was too caught up with the thought of, "Holy crap I'm in Japan! LOOK AT ALL THE JAPANESE PEOPLE AND SIGNS AND VENDING MACHINES!" to even really care. After I riding the train, I got off the train to only realize I didn't have my ticket on me. A moment of panic set in, after some deep breathes I began to look for a train attendant and pray he knew some English or had paper so I could draw my dilemma at the very least. Needless to say he did know English and after explaining the situation let me go through without a problem. Maybe it was the tired look or out of pity but in any case I was and still am grateful.
As I reached my destination, I breathed a big sigh of relief. As I got ready for bed, it was great to take a shower again with hot water (since my parents have luke warm water at best). Also wanted to note, the place I am staying in is a hostel so there is two bathrooms we share. Having lived with at one time 5 people and 1 bathroom, it reminded me of the great times in San Francisco and the amazing new memories I was about to make in Japan. With that thought I went to sleep at midnight... only to awake at 6:30am.
When I was living at home, we would wake up at 6:30am to gather together and say family pray. Needless to say that my body still remembered so I said a quick morning prayer and went back to sleep. After a nice little 20 min nap, checking my facebook and twitter I set off to get ready for the day. Waking up early has its perks.
As a Japanese old woman passes by she says "Good Morning!" while I say "Ohayōgozaimasu!" We both look at each other and burst out laughing. It was an amusing sight, we both smiled at each other and were on our way. Thus my morning went as it usually does, except that all the sudden I have become a neat freak, it felt great to be able to do my routine. Today I will be heading down to Akihabara and taking some pictures with my DSLR, hopefully I can upload those in my next post. I'll admit that since I have touched down in Japan, despite not knowing the language very well, it felt like home. It is rare but I just felt like I was at the right place at the right time. This is only the beginning.
"Adventure is out there!"
~UP
Friday, February 22, 2013
The Terrible Introduction
Here it is.
Finally a blog to which I try to write about my various adventures. Keyword being "try." Seriously folks, this is called The Terrible Blogger for a reason. Many times I have tried to start a blog about video games with friends, about my experiences in life, progress of artwork or even one to just rant with. Every attempt a failure.
What makes this different?
I have set low expectations. I can promise you no consistent updates, maybe blog posts with just pictures or a few words. Whatever the case this is not meant to impress anyone or be a blog that is meant to sky rocket to blogger fame. This is a terrible blogger making an attempt to record adventures, pictures, videos, stories, improve her grammar or whatever else I want to share with the internet.
Who am I?
A girl who likes comic books, video games, cartoons, music, etc. A jack of a lot of trades.
Finally a blog to which I try to write about my various adventures. Keyword being "try." Seriously folks, this is called The Terrible Blogger for a reason. Many times I have tried to start a blog about video games with friends, about my experiences in life, progress of artwork or even one to just rant with. Every attempt a failure.
What makes this different?
I have set low expectations. I can promise you no consistent updates, maybe blog posts with just pictures or a few words. Whatever the case this is not meant to impress anyone or be a blog that is meant to sky rocket to blogger fame. This is a terrible blogger making an attempt to record adventures, pictures, videos, stories, improve her grammar or whatever else I want to share with the internet.
Who am I?
A girl who likes comic books, video games, cartoons, music, etc. A jack of a lot of trades.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)