Archived:ThingsWeDidInJapan: Difference between revisions

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** Share an umbrella with an old lady who is amazed at John's stature and finds us the right bus stop.

** Get to 'Fuji Hakone' ryokan in <s>Moto-Hakone</s> Sengokuhara (having discovered in time that there are two ryokan with the same name).

** Eat horse mackerel and tempura everything at a restaurant around the corner.

** Eat horse mackerel and tempura everything at a restaurant around the corner (we never had lunch).

* Mon 19th:

** Breakfast at the ryokan with slightly underdone toast.

Line 25:

** Drink the waters of Kiyomizudera.

** Temple fatigue.

** Lunch in a trendy ~~cafe~~ in Kyoto.

** Lunch in a trendy café in Kyoto.

*** More like a restaurant over a shop, and it was on the main temple approach road

* Eat ice-cream and cake in the awesome station again.

** Most too tired for dinner, but John, Lmm, and Emma go to a ramen noodle ~~cafe~~. Emma gets the most vegetarian option -- a pork soup which "only tastes of meat a little".

** Most too tired for dinner, but John, Lmm, and Emma go to a ramen noodle café. Emma gets the most vegetarian option -- a pork soup which "only tastes of meat a little".

* Wed 21st:

** Breakfast at Mielparque again.

Line 44:

** Get up unsure of what to do. Decide to see kabuki.

** Route march through the government building district to Tokyo Tower.

** Breakfast at a trendy ~~cafe~~ with plastic-wrapped cake.

** Breakfast at a trendy café with plastic-wrapped cake.

** Glimpse tower as we rush past to the National Theatre.

** See [http://www.kabuki21.com/kumagai.php]. Lunch during the first interval. Dan had croquette sandwiches. Kabuki continues forever and ever.

** See http://www.kabuki21.com/kumagai.php. Lunch during the first interval. Dan had croquette sandwiches. Kabuki continues forever and ever.

** Wander around Shinjuku in the evening. Take forever to find the worst of most worlds in a fondue place for dinner.

** Dan hits the gay bars, namely Advocates, and then gets taken on to Dragon, which has gaijin barmen in undies.

Line 59:

** Take in a disappointing anime in the museum's planetarium.

** Evening trip to Akihabara. Much consternation as we keep getting split up.

** Dinner at a Chinese place, with greater-than-usual ~~lingusitic~~ hurdles and multiple erroneous drinks orders.

** Dinner at a Chinese place, with greater-than-usual linguistic hurdles and multiple erroneous drinks orders.

** Mickey, Dan, Phil, and Emma go to the local onsen, round the corner from the ryokan.

*** Average age is lower than Dan expects.

*** The "electric bath" feels like having pins and needles where one should not have pins and needles.

*** Mickey rediscovers Galileo's Principle by getting in and out of the electric bath very quickly.

* Sun 25th:

** John is ill and stays in bed.

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Line 69:

** John breakfasts alone at Mister Donut again and feels a bit better.

** Wander around the temple in Asakusa. Lmm buys a suitcase.

** Head out to the suburbs for Mike's ''~~cafe~~''. It turns out to require advance tickets.

** Head out to the suburbs for Mike's ''café''. It turns out to require advance tickets.

** Eat okonomiyaki at a place that actually uses the hot plate. Phil and John accidentally order chicken gristle.

** Harajuku. Walk around the park a bit, and the fancy shops. Both turn out to be largely devoid of cosplayers, but there are one or two.

** Dan sees a costume show in the Evangelion shop.

** Lmm and Mike head back to Akihabara. Mike insists Lmm direct him where to buy his porn. Lmm runs away as soon as possible, and finds a ''~~cafe~~''.

** Lmm and Mike head back to Akihabara. Mike insists Lmm direct him where to buy his porn. Lmm runs away as soon as possible, and finds [http://filles.jp/ a ''café''].

** John goes back to bed, braving a vending machine noodle bar with apparent success.

** Other people try to see Shinjuku Gyoen, but it is already closed, so we instead see everything from the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building tower.

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Line 82:

** Turns out the drum museum around the corner is closed, but Emma buys shoes.

** Wander round the market stalls in the temple district, eating ice-cream and sweet bread.

** Breakfast in a street that turns out to be full of ~~cafes~~. Dan thanks the food server effusively.

** Breakfast in a street that turns out to be full of cafés. Dan thanks the food server effusively.

** Head back to Akihabara for lunch and a little last shopping. Decide to split up this time and everyone has a better time.

** Fail to say goodbye properly to Emma.

** MELON BREAD, and assorted other deliciousness from the bakery in Akihabara station.

** Catch the train to Osaka as planned.

** Eat at a ~~cafe~~ in Osaka station. Everyone but Dan has carbonara. Exciting frozen drinks.

** Eat at a café in Osaka station. Everyone but Dan has carbonara. Exciting frozen drinks.

** Discover we have 18 beds between the six of us at the Smile Hotel.

* Tue 27th:

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Line 102:

** By bus to Shiragani Unsuikyo.

** 5 hours of hiking, eating snacks along the way which roughly constitute lunch.

** Climb a mountain for [http://hpmor.com/chapter/81].

** Climb a mountain for http://hpmor.com/chapter/81.

** Bus back, booking jetfoil on the way. Also a little souvenir shopping just outside Miyanoura.

** Dinner at the restaurant opposite the ryokan.

Line 109:

Line 113:

** Watch a dude with some impressive diabolo skillz.

** Dan nearly buys a watch.

** Everyone else watches a japanese schoolgirl acquire a few dozen bars of chocolate for at least ~~¥6000~~.

** Everyone else watches a japanese schoolgirl acquire a few dozen bars of chocolate for at least 6000円.

** Mickey acquires two figurines for 2500円

** Dinner at our third okonomiyaki place where the hotplate sees extensive use and melon soda is discovered to be better than reports suggested (not hard).

** Back to the hotel as the shops shut.

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Line 124:

** Late lunch in this underground place, with bartering (between ourselves) and cocktails. John discovers there may in fact be drinks worth paying money for.

** Lmm runs off to catch the pretty cure all stars movie.

** Evening karaoke.

** Evening karaoke. Ben orders much sake, which is worth it as it arrives in traditional bottles with the little ceramic cups.

** Dinner is snacks in the karaoke place followed by cakes from the exciting cake shop nearby.

** Fail to find a mahjong club for 3.

Line 129:

Line 134:

** Back to Akihabara one last time. John succumbs to temptation and joins the figurine crowd.

** John and Lmm have a protracted and entirely superfluous negotiation over exchange of mass and volume in suitcases.

** Dan sees Kappabashi Kitchenware Town Street when it is closed.

** Dan goes on to a ''club'' in Asakusa (in the temple district, near the amusement park).

* Sun 1st:

** All but Ben and Lmm fly home in the morning.

** Fertility festival in Kawasaki. It is full of ~~american~~ tourists, and we can't get any lollies.

*** Breakfast in a café in the airport, after a lot of looking for the best option and finding they are all much the same.

* Fertility festival in Kawasaki. It is full of American tourists, and we can't get any lollies.

** Early lunch at a traditional japanese noodle bar. We watch some baseball.

** Watch the parade. Haha, penis.

** Ben heads to book his ferry ticket.

** Lmm makes a brief ticket to Akihabara, locates (but does not enter, as it is not yet open) the infamous LittleBSD ~~cafe~~, then goes to Shinjuku and watches the Strike Witches movie.

** Lmm makes a brief ticket to Akihabara, locates (but does not enter, as it is not yet open) the infamous LittleBSD ''café'', then goes to Shinjuku and watches the Strike Witches movie.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ** Share an umbrella with an old lady who is amazed at John's stature and finds us the right bus stop.
 ** Get to 'Fuji Hakone' ryokan in <s>Moto-Hakone</s> Sengokuhara (having discovered in time that there are two ryokan with the same name).
-** Eat horse mackerel and tempura everything at a restaurant around the corner.
+** Eat horse mackerel and tempura everything at a restaurant around the corner (we never had lunch).
 * Mon 19th:
 ** Breakfast at the ryokan with slightly underdone toast.
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ** Drink the waters of Kiyomizudera.
 ** Temple fatigue.
-** Lunch in a trendy cafe in Kyoto.
+** Lunch in a trendy café in Kyoto.
 *** More like a restaurant over a shop, and it was on the main temple approach road
 * Eat ice-cream and cake in the awesome station again.
-** Most too tired for dinner, but John, Lmm, and Emma go to a ramen noodle cafe.  Emma gets the most vegetarian option -- a pork soup which "only tastes of meat a little".
+** Most too tired for dinner, but John, Lmm, and Emma go to a ramen noodle café.  Emma gets the most vegetarian option -- a pork soup which "only tastes of meat a little".
 * Wed 21st:
 ** Breakfast at Mielparque again.
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 ** Get up unsure of what to do. Decide to see kabuki.
 ** Route march through the government building district to Tokyo Tower.
-** Breakfast at a trendy cafe with plastic-wrapped cake.
+** Breakfast at a trendy café with plastic-wrapped cake.
 ** Glimpse tower as we rush past to the National Theatre.
-** See [http://www.kabuki21.com/kumagai.php]. Lunch during the first interval. Dan had croquette sandwiches. Kabuki continues forever and ever.
+** See http://www.kabuki21.com/kumagai.php. Lunch during the first interval. Dan had croquette sandwiches. Kabuki continues forever and ever.
 ** Wander around Shinjuku in the evening. Take forever to find the worst of most worlds in a fondue place for dinner.
 ** Dan hits the gay bars, namely Advocates, and then gets taken on to Dragon, which has gaijin barmen in undies.
@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 ** Take in a disappointing anime in the museum's planetarium.
 ** Evening trip to Akihabara. Much consternation as we keep getting split up.
-** Dinner at a Chinese place, with greater-than-usual lingusitic hurdles and multiple erroneous drinks orders.
+** Dinner at a Chinese place, with greater-than-usual linguistic hurdles and multiple erroneous drinks orders.
+** Mickey, Dan, Phil, and Emma go to the local onsen, round the corner from the ryokan.
+*** Average age is lower than Dan expects.
+*** The "electric bath" feels like having pins and needles where one should not have pins and needles.
+*** Mickey rediscovers Galileo's Principle by getting in and out of the electric bath very quickly.
 * Sun 25th:
 ** John is ill and stays in bed.
@@ Line 65: / Line 69: @@
 ** John breakfasts alone at Mister Donut again and feels a bit better.
 ** Wander around the temple in Asakusa. Lmm buys a suitcase.
-** Head out to the suburbs for Mike's ''cafe''. It turns out to require advance tickets.
+** Head out to the suburbs for Mike's ''café''. It turns out to require advance tickets.
 ** Eat okonomiyaki at a place that actually uses the hot plate.  Phil and John accidentally order chicken gristle.
 ** Harajuku. Walk around the park a bit, and the fancy shops. Both turn out to be largely devoid of cosplayers, but there are one or two.
 ** Dan sees a costume show in the Evangelion shop.
-** Lmm and Mike head back to Akihabara. Mike insists Lmm direct him where to buy his porn. Lmm runs away as soon as possible, and finds a ''cafe''.
+** Lmm and Mike head back to Akihabara. Mike insists Lmm direct him where to buy his porn. Lmm runs away as soon as possible, and finds [http://filles.jp/ a ''café''].
 ** John goes back to bed, braving a vending machine noodle bar with apparent success.
 ** Other people try to see Shinjuku Gyoen, but it is already closed, so we instead see everything from the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building tower.
@@ Line 78: / Line 82: @@
 ** Turns out the drum museum around the corner is closed, but Emma buys shoes.
 ** Wander round the market stalls in the temple district, eating ice-cream and sweet bread.
-** Breakfast in a street that turns out to be full of cafes.  Dan thanks the food server effusively.
+** Breakfast in a street that turns out to be full of cafés.  Dan thanks the food server effusively.
 ** Head back to Akihabara for lunch and a little last shopping. Decide to split up this time and everyone has a better time.
 ** Fail to say goodbye properly to Emma.
 ** MELON BREAD, and assorted other deliciousness from the bakery in Akihabara station.
 ** Catch the train to Osaka as planned.
-** Eat at a cafe in Osaka station. Everyone but Dan has carbonara. Exciting frozen drinks.
+** Eat at a café in Osaka station. Everyone but Dan has carbonara. Exciting frozen drinks.
 ** Discover we have 18 beds between the six of us at the Smile Hotel.
 * Tue 27th:
@@ Line 98: / Line 102: @@
 ** By bus to Shiragani Unsuikyo.
 ** 5 hours of hiking, eating snacks along the way which roughly constitute lunch.
-** Climb a mountain for [http://hpmor.com/chapter/81].
+** Climb a mountain for http://hpmor.com/chapter/81.
 ** Bus back, booking jetfoil on the way. Also a little souvenir shopping just outside Miyanoura.
 ** Dinner at the restaurant opposite the ryokan.
@@ Line 109: / Line 113: @@
 ** Watch a dude with some impressive diabolo skillz.
 ** Dan nearly buys a watch.
-** Everyone else watches a japanese schoolgirl acquire a few dozen bars of chocolate for at least ¥6000.
+** Everyone else watches a japanese schoolgirl acquire a few dozen bars of chocolate for at least 6000円.
+** Mickey acquires two figurines for 2500円
 ** Dinner at our third okonomiyaki place where the hotplate sees extensive use and melon soda is discovered to be better than reports suggested (not hard).
 ** Back to the hotel as the shops shut.
@@ Line 119: / Line 124: @@
 ** Late lunch in this underground place, with bartering (between ourselves) and cocktails. John discovers there may in fact be drinks worth paying money for.
 ** Lmm runs off to catch the pretty cure all stars movie.
-** Evening karaoke.
+** Evening karaoke. Ben orders much sake, which is worth it as it arrives in traditional bottles with the little ceramic cups.
 ** Dinner is snacks in the karaoke place followed by cakes from the exciting cake shop nearby.
 ** Fail to find a mahjong club for 3.
@@ Line 129: / Line 134: @@
 ** Back to Akihabara one last time. John succumbs to temptation and joins the figurine crowd.
 ** John and Lmm have a protracted and entirely superfluous negotiation over exchange of mass and volume in suitcases.
+** Dan sees Kappabashi Kitchenware Town Street when it is closed.
+** Dan goes on to a ''club'' in Asakusa (in the temple district, near the amusement park).
 * Sun 1st:
 ** All but Ben and Lmm fly home in the morning.
-** Fertility festival in Kawasaki. It is full of american tourists, and we can't get any lollies.
+*** Breakfast in a café in the airport, after a lot of looking for the best option and finding they are all much the same.
+* Fertility festival in Kawasaki. It is full of American tourists, and we can't get any lollies.
 ** Early lunch at a traditional japanese noodle bar. We watch some baseball.
 ** Watch the parade. Haha, penis.
 ** Ben heads to book his ferry ticket.
-** Lmm makes a brief ticket to Akihabara, locates (but does not enter, as it is not yet open) the infamous LittleBSD cafe, then goes to Shinjuku and watches the Strike Witches movie.
+** Lmm makes a brief ticket to Akihabara, locates (but does not enter, as it is not yet open) the infamous LittleBSD ''café'', then goes to Shinjuku and watches the Strike Witches movie.