Time definitely flies when you’re having fun. I have been here for a little over 6 weeks and only have 2 more to go. It is nice to have that extra couple of weeks to get in
a little more sightseeing and cultural exposure. Last weekend I went to Kyoto from Saturday through Monday to hang out with my tomodachi Shelley from Hawaii. I started off with the 15 minute predawn power-walk to the train station and station hopping to Yokohama where I caught the bullet train (shinkansen) to Kyoto. It is amazing how smooth a 200 mph train ride can be. The city is chock full of castles, shrines and temples. You can literally run into them at almost every corner. Win
ding our way through a massive cemetery we came across a small but ornate wooden shrine with no people around. It was awesome. So was wandering through the Gion area and seeing the occasional maiko (geisha). I almost tripped over one of them too. We had an excellent weekend
of hiking, eating, exploring. It helps a lot to be in a place where the bus and train timetable actually means something. If the train is arriving at 0646 and leaving at 0648 you can pretty much set your watch by it. The only real complaint I have about Japan is the stress of driving. It seems to be the one part of Japanese life that
is random, haphazard and dangerous. As a driver you are pretty much at fault in every situation. If a shopper darts out into the street and gets hit, it’s the driver’s fault. If a moped gets knocked over while passing you on the left in the two-foot wide space between car and curb as you execute a left turn, it’s the driver’s fault. If some kid in a miniskirt and stiletto he
els rides her bike through an intersection in the rain with headphones on, an umbrella in one hand, one hand on the wheel and her cell phone pinched between her shoulder and cheek and runs into you, it’s the driver’s fault. Drivers have to stop at the stop line a good 10-15 feet before an intersection, even though the corner is a blind corner due to the building that stretches up from 2 feet off the street and has a tree planted in the remaining 2 feet. You have
to stop at the line and hope that nobody pulls up to the other blind corner at the same time, otherwise you have to wait for th
e police and then as the foreigner, it’s your fault. If anyone is hurt, the driver is expected to pay a condolence visit with cash money (yen) in enough hand to apologize adequately and act so humble as to convince the victim not to sue you (aka: a bribe). Yeah driving is kind of tense. Thank goodness for sa-ke and massages.
Time definitely flies when you’re having fun. I have been here for a little over 6 weeks and only have 2 more to go. It is nice to have that extra couple of weeks to get in
a little more sightseeing and cultural exposure. Last weekend I went to Kyoto from Saturday through Monday to hang out with my tomodachi Shelley from Hawaii. I started off with the 15 minute predawn power-walk to the train station and station hopping to Yokohama where I caught the bullet train (shinkansen) to Kyoto. It is amazing how smooth a 200 mph train ride can be. The city is chock full of castles, shrines and temples. You can literally run into them at almost every corner. Win
ding our way through a massive cemetery we came across a small but ornate wooden shrine with no people around. It was awesome. So was wandering through the Gion area and seeing the occasional maiko (geisha). I almost tripped over one of them too. We had an excellent weekend
of hiking, eating, exploring. It helps a lot to be in a place where the bus and train timetable actually means something. If the train is arriving at 0646 and leaving at 0648 you can pretty much set your watch by it. The only real complaint I have about Japan is the stress of driving. It seems to be the one part of Japanese life that 
is random, haphazard and dangerous. As a driver you are pretty much at fault in every situation. If a shopper darts out into the street and gets hit, it’s the driver’s fault. If a moped gets knocked over while passing you on the left in the two-foot wide space between car and curb as you execute a left turn, it’s the driver’s fault. If some kid in a miniskirt and stiletto he
els rides her bike through an intersection in the rain with headphones on, an umbrella in one hand, one hand on the wheel and her cell phone pinched between her shoulder and cheek and runs into you, it’s the driver’s fault. Drivers have to stop at the stop line a good 10-15 feet before an intersection, even though the corner is a blind corner due to the building that stretches up from 2 feet off the street and has a tree planted in the remaining 2 feet. You have 
to stop at the line and hope that nobody pulls up to the other blind corner at the same time, otherwise you have to wait for th
e police and then as the foreigner, it’s your fault. If anyone is hurt, the driver is expected to pay a condolence visit with cash money (yen) in enough hand to apologize adequately and act so humble as to convince the victim not to sue you (aka: a bribe). Yeah driving is kind of tense. Thank goodness for sa-ke and massages.
WOW Garry ! How amazing your life is right now and you share the memories you are making so very well - the" driver's fault" bit made me laugh so hard!! LOVE the pics!! Thank you for BLOGGING !! ;o)
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