Beast From The East

Just got back from 2 weeks in Japan. Very cool place. Had a great time, saw some very cool people, places and things and ate some good food and some awful food. Spent 8 days in Tokyo and 5 days in Okinawa and 2 days on a plane. I’m putting together a video podcast of my trip, but here are some observations.

  • Girls and young women in Japan wear their shoes too big.
  • A lot of the young people in Japan dress like the cast of Pretty in Pink. The 80s are alive and well!
  • Harajuku girls look nothing like Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls.
  • “Hooker chic” is the best way to describe a lot of the 20-something girls.
  • The food is awesome, except octopus and squid do NOT make for good sushi or sashimi.
  • Less people speak English than you think.
  • The subway system kicks ass – once you find the signs in English.
  • The Japanese carry small towels – most bathrooms don’t have paper towels or hand dryers.
  • Most temples and sites are re-creations built after the originals were destroyed in WWII.
  • There are no trash cans but the city is SO clean.
  • Most of Japan lives vertically. There are almost no single family homes.
  • There is hardly no unused land in Japan. If it doesn’t have a building on it there is a farm on it.
  • Taxi drivers can be found sleeping in their cars quite often.

Photos and videos coming soon!