Quarter of a year in Taiwan

I've been in Asia for almost 5 months now and about 3 of those months in Taiwan. I liked it here since the very beginning even though my first little while in Taiwan I was dealing with a recovering burn wound on my right leg from less than stellar alcohol induced decision of jumping through a flaming ring and skipping rope (see earlier post for info on that)

I remember liking the weather here right away, it was nice and warm with lots of sun everyday. Little did I know that I was not the typical weather in Taiwan and in the week after I arrived
and ever since its been raining quite regularly and heavily. As I've learned, the rain in Taiwan is famous for coming in from all direction making an umbrella nearly useless, if you protect the top it'll come from the side, if you protect the side it'll just find a way to come from the bottom bouncing of the street. However, I will still take the regular 24-34 degree temperatures over the cold any day. In fact the only thing that I really liked about winter is the opportunity to do outdoor recreational activities like skiing and tubing and I had the opportunity to participate in those activities several times before I left.

Back to Taiwan now. So what is it like? Taiwan feels like a mid ground between a developed country and a 3rd world, so perhaps: a developed 3rd world country, or a developing first world country? The road construction here is very good, you will almost never see large potholes or cracks in the road. There road construction is actually extremely streamlined and efficient unlike some places I know… cough… Montreal. I recall one incident when I saw them repaving a stretch of street almost 1/2 Km long along my daily path to training (more on that later) and I was convinced it would be a daily nuisance for the rest of my time there. Later that evening on the way back, to my great surprise the work was complete, the road was completely repaved and all the construction equipment was gone and the only trace left was a darker stretch of asphalt and newly painted lanes. I am convinced that the same amount of work would have taken weeks in Montreal.
At the same time however the road condition are quite different here than anywhere else I've seen in the world. There are infinitely more scooters in Taiwan than in North American and even significantly more than I've seen in other Asian countries. In order to deal with this situation all the roads here have been built with scooters and bikes in mind. There was special stopping boxes for scooters at the lights and even an extremely 2 step left turn process for scooters (see pix.)


I bought a scooter here about a 3 weeks after I moved to Taichung, so that was mid June. Now finally I got my Taiwanese scooter license yesterday so I can officially ride it :) It’s a very special system they have here Taiwan , where the police would rather turn a blind eye to infractions if it means they don’t have to do extra work. This is apparent when the cops send out dummy patrol cars with the lights glaring to warn people and then you get the regular cops that come around and check for wrong doings. Furthermore, most people come in to do their driving test on their own scooters and even if they fail, they just get back on the scooters they drove in on, and wait one week before they can try again. That's fairly apparent when you look at the abysmal way that people drive in Taiwan, the land where road signs and lights are just suggestions. Although you would not believe it if you were here, but people are not supposed to turn right, left or go straight through a red light, luckily the last is where cops do sometimes step in if they see the infraction. Other highly unusual driving techniques are (usually) tolerated, such as driving down a one way street in the wrong direction, driving in the oncoming traffic lane to bypass traffic and make a left turn and finally parking on sidewalks. Although in fairness my favorite parking spot is on a sidewalk as well just in front of my apartment.




View Taichung in a larger map

You can read up on the beginning of my training in the earlier post (see earlier post for info on that) but fast for today and I can say that I have explored much more of Taichung and its surrounding areas but there is till much to see and do. I visited friends in the big city, Taipei and even went to the little township of Dajia to visit another NST. I have to say I don't intend on going back to Dajia anytime soon (no offence Grant.) I've also had the chance to explore some of the nice hiking around Taiwan, namely Dakeng Scenic Area, which is composed of 8 hiking trails ranging in difficulty. I had the chance to do one of the average difficulty trails but I intend on doing most of the other when I get the time.



Made a few new friends over here with the other people that work for HESS and I went out them a few times to restaurants and clubs. One of my favourite clubs in Taichung is Xaga, it could hold its own to any club in Montreal as far as atmosphere goes, and the music is pretty good as well although there are some awkward song choices from time to time, there are more than enough women to make up for it though, which makes for an almost certain good time. A little bit more about the drinking scene in Taichung: Every Wednesday is ladies nigh at several places in the city, where the guys need to pay a cover ranging from 400-1000NT (CAN$13-33) cover for an open bar or several drink coupons...

Finally, one of my goals here in Taiwan was to learn a bit of Mandarin (it was also one of my objectives in Hong Kong, but I can barely say that was a success) and I'm happy to say I found a Chinese program that fits my needs quite well, and as an added bonus it’s a a Uni only 5 minutes away from my place. Looking forward to starting my studies there in September since the schools are all on summer break now. I'll keep you updated on how my language skills are evolving, or not. Although one thing is for sure work at HESS has become much easier now since I've started becoming familiar with the material. I have significantly more free time than before so I need to start doing something productive with it before I fall into the same sleeping patterns as some of the other teachers here that only work in the evenings and therefore wake up in the afternoon. Although I've never been a big fan of sleep I have noticed that I've been waking up between 9-10am recently, in contrast to waking up between 8-9am in weeks past. A wake up call?

Anyway, that’s all I really have to say for now, so until next time
Layyyyyy,
Kash

Taiwan: Settling In

First impressions: As my plane landed at the airport in Taoyuan TPE , I was excited to excited the possibilities that awaited me here in Taiwan. I was received outside the arrivals pick-up pre-arranged , and to my surprise, he drives a black sedan , a current model Camry if I remember correctly . I was a little surprised that I did not expect to larger cars to be popular, and most cars in the pickup section were in the same class. The journey from the airport to my hotel was about an hour and at that time I was very happy that I got a lift rather than having to understand the transport immediately . However, this could not be further from reality. I was not able to communicate to the driver , who spoke only Chinese , I had actually changed my reservation at The Cats Pajamas ( cool name is not it? ) For the first few nights that my original hostel Taiwanmex was full . Fortunetly , I chose two locations due to their proximity to MRT stations and I was able to navigate to my destination relatively easy given the circustances . ***

The Cats Pyjamas was located in a trendy neighborhood next to a night market . I liked the place that useful servant , LCD TV, kick ass showers and a communal kitchen. The next place I went was Taiwanmex , I discovered because the owner was a Mexican who had moved here ten years ago and opened a store with his Taiwanese wife. The location of this hotel was ideal as it was understood right Zhongshang MRT and busy streets around it.

In my first weeks in Taiwan, I could see the National Palace Museum . It is considered the best museum of Chinese history in the world, because it was the former Chinese Nationalist Party ( KMT) , led by Mr. Chiang Kai-shek was the greatest treasure exported to the Republic of China (Taiwan ) when the Communist party was gaining momentum in the continent. I also went to a couple of night markets , there was a lot of local food, including my fair share of typical Taiwanese lunch boxes usually contain 3 servings of veges and meat 1 . Given the iconic Taipai 101 and started my training with Hess.

Hess is the language cram school I signed a contract to teach English for one year in Taiwan. I got the job online and they are one of the few companies in Taiwan that will guarantee a contract even before you land . The initial training I had with the company was Taipai and only 15 minutes walk from my hostel . Hess paid the hotel during training , so I left Taiwanmex and moved into the first hotel located on Nanjing Road. It was a mid-level hotel , but a notch above many hostels I have stayed in for the last 2 months, and it was free so there was no way that I turned downwardly . Initial training ( HITT ) lasted about two weeks during which I learned a lot about how Hess education , their curriculum and met a dozen other teachers who would do the same thing as me for next year . Trainig days were really long , but that's about all I care to mention about training. After HITT , we all moved to our respective branches, in my case , it was the Sun Min branch in Taichung.

Taichung is a city located in the center of Taiwan , about 200 km south of Taipai . Although I took the bus to Taichung , there is a high speed train connecting all parts of Taiwan and the journey of my Taipai Taichung HSR is only 45 minutes going about 300 km an hour. I intend to use next time to go to Kaoshung all the way in the south ( also 45 minutes) or at the back of Taipai . The hotel we were put in place ( there were three of us , Heather , Miles and myself) was Huang He or something. It was a lovely quite and I had my own large living room with TV , fridge, large bathroom , queen size bed , writing table and not to mention and great views from the large windows. The branch manager Frances took another new teacher Micheal and I for dinner with two other people in the industry on our first day in Little Italy , which is a restaurant here , not a neighborhood. It was a nice place with all the Italian stereotypes you can imagine come to life . After lunch, she took me home to watch the next day and I moved to a place that the former teacher ( Wesley ) I replaced was about to leave . I'll share 3 bedroom apartment with him this month and another teacher at my service already expressed interest in moving out as soon as Wesley . This is a very nice place , lots of windows , air conditioning in all bedrooms, large bathroom and kitchen. Although there is no television, cable or Internet really sucks (and this is the reason why I 'm in an internet cafe at the moment. 's Located on the other side between a market day and night market which means theres always an amazing selection of food located just a few minutes walk and Internet cafes in Taiwan are really really cheap about an hour 15NT ( 50c/hour ) when you pay for a block of 3 - 5 hours .

The people I met at the store are so far and I went out with them a few times in places I did not really RECAL not specifically other than Ala ( music group ) , bar the elementary school ( a karaoke bar with towers ) and freedom ( a popular foreign bar / club that plays a selection of pop and hip hop. )


Poor judgment *** Two days before my departure from Thailand, my own alcohol and adrenaline induced led me to participate in the fire show on the beaches of Koh Phangnan . My enemy fire rings suspended . It is difficult to judge the main reason for my failure , whether my dulled reflexes or the lack of stability of the ring, which was suspended by two Thais on elevated platforms . The first jump was successful for what it's worth , which inspired the second representation least Steller highlighted by packing my right leg around the rope for what was to be about 4-5 seconds. It was just enough for the flames leave black marks on charred along the back of my knee , calf and ankle and just above my right elbow. Although he did no harm at this point in time, which led to a lot of pain and discomfort in the coming weeks.
1 : The first remedy for this burn was to jump in the ocean and " disinfect " it ... Well, he helped the combustion anyway. About an hour after the incident the pain started to get unbearable, so I had to leave the game and return to the guest house. On the way home I collapsed in a pharmacy and picked up some 1% povidone-iodine in the little orange bottle and paracetamol. I disinfected the wound with iodine and called it a night , the amount of alcohol I had in my system I was able to sleep through the night . The next day, I tried to rough and walk it off, but it turned out to be easier said than done.
2nd: Later that evening , I went to a clinic and got advice from a nurse and simply linked a cotton wrap around the wound and tried to keep it dry . As a side note , she said that I just attach the envelope to the end rather than using tape or a clip and I rather liked this little tid ingenuity. I did a little more research on injuries and burns my own diagnosis is that it was a second degree burn as it affected the skin tissue , muscle tendons and ligaments caused discoloration , but not through to the bone or deep into muscle. There was no standard protocol for treating this type of burning or healing time provided material I could understand online, however , I was able to find a general guideline which declared void from 4 weeks to 2 years ... it was not assured that I wanted.
3: When I returned to Bangkok the next day I went to the pharmacy (at 7-11 :)) to buy more cotton envelopes and presence informed that I use cream instead of iodine liquid and clean wound with an alcohol disinfectant first, I took his advice to the cream, but not alcohol as I read an article the other day discouraging .
4: The Watsons at the airport in BKK suggested that I apply small samples adherent , highly absorbent on the wound before applying the film and I gladly accepted the advice, I felt ripped off skin that j ' I removed the envelopes per day .
5: When I went to restore I'm in bandages Taipai now Cosmed and the clerk suggested an antibiotic cream in addition to iodine I was already using , although I hesitated on the use of antibiotics on it early I really did not want to run the risk of getting infected wound if I gave started to apply that on my next dressing . After using the cream for two days and jump in too many paracetamols (which were almost 10X the price I usually pay for themselves in Thailand vs 15Baht 120NT per band) I decided to see a doctor the next day.
6: I went to NTU hospital because he was more comfortable with its own MRT station . Medical service is extremely cheap in Taiwan as I discovered. Consultation and prescription of 2 tubes of silver sulfadiazine that cost about 660NT or about $ 25 . The doctor also advised against antibiotic cream indicated in the 5th remedy. He did not give me painkillers though. This was the last remedy that I really need . I kept it for about 2 weeks and almost all wounds had healed to the point where my body is actually a natural hedge or skin was starting to heal.
Overall, it took about three weeks for the wound to "heal" enough that it requires no extra care of me. Although there is still discoloration and marks on my leg and arm , no further action required . Lets see how long it takes to heal completely.

Singapore; The cleanest little country in Asia

Singapore; 's own small country in Asia
My first impression of Singapore was the same as most other first-hand accounts I've heard , a clean haven in the midst of the frenzy of the pollution which is the South- East.

Everything in Singapore is at a convenient distance , mainly due to the size of this small "country" which extends 41 kilometers high by 23 km wide and more like a suburb . The airport is connected to the city by metro which connects all parts of the country and , although the metro is very convenient it is a little difficult to understand at first, because a deposit is charged and refunded to the end of my trip .

As soon as I got to my stop to Aljunied station , I felt like I was in the suburbs, the whole area was surrounded my greenery , trees and grass and ample parking , not very common in Thailand site.
I stayed in hostel WOW that was damn awesome, it was like relax at home. All rooms are air conditioned and there was a cool manager running the place that has always been watching movies in the common room on a nice big HD TV . They had a huge selection of movies on an external hard 3TB hard to choose from , so I am guilty of staying in a little more then I should have while traveling.

Singapore is not a big city ... desolate country for tourism. There is not much to see , so I was glad I booked 4 days there . They have small pockets of small crops , including Chinatown cleanest I've ever seen (see photos) , Arab city with some mosques in the region and bards chicha course, and some of the India, which was actually quite large, with an impressive selection of food for cheap.

Although Singapore has a bad reputation of being quite expensive, you can still get a good selection of cheap eats (i often paid Singapore $ 2-3 for my meal) and the portions were quite large, compared to small portions I was used to Thailand :)

The most beautiful sites here is certainly Clark Quay with a river side restaurant strip beautifully , fully planned , lit bridges and walkways and colorful buildings (see photos) .

Orchard Road is the shopping paradise in Singapore with a glitzier shopping center than the other, and the hottest of them is Ion, a massive architectural wonder in the center of the city, lined with luxury shops all you can dream off , this is the place to collect your Vertu phone and programmed it while you color coordinated with the Prada bag on the screen opposite. The food court is equally impressive , and some budget choices were even sprinkled into the mix , thankfully.

I lied a bit when I said Singapore was not tourist ... ResortLand Singapore, a very direct and uncreatively appointed stations across Mendosa island. It is the only Universal Studios in Asia and I think a nice man made beaches, but like many Singapore was still under constant construction.

I had a bit of an adventure at the airport on the way back ... but still get to the airport at least 1.5 to 2 hours earlier for people on international flights ! ( Where International Singapore ) I arrived with only 40 minutes of my flight, but I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived without a problem, even if the counter already closed , since I do not have checked baggage . However, my first experience with airlines to effectively enforce restrictions on baggage came immediately after . My bag weighed 14 kg , which was twice allowed to 7 kg hand luggage @ 16 per extra kilo ... about $ 110 total , which was more than the cost of my flight . There was no way I was going to pay that so I got out of the bathroom, put on my hoodie, jeans , cap and jacket and a little sweat in the process and threw some unnecessary items . To my surprise , the baggage check people recognize me when I got home (maybe the cap enough and they covered my face if I was a local ?) If no problem and I walked pass by without make a weigh in. :) Yay . So I went to my flight to Phuket , which Air Asia standard tariff arrived 5 minutes after the start time , but only took another 10 minutes to take off :)

until next time ,
Sawadeekhap

Whats the Capital of Thailand - BANGKOK!

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What is the capital of Thailand ? - BANGKOK !

Thailand has been keeps me very busy over the past few weeks , but here are the highlights of the land of smiles .

Suvarnabhumi Airport : We arrived at the airport at 12:30 at night ( which is a fun time to go because there are no more public transport ), but I have already been initiated in Asia shady and sneaky scams taxi from the airport , so I cunningly avoid all the airport limousine / taxi / soldiers and made ​​my way to the local bus station . Once there, I found three other like-minded individuals and we shared a taxi to Khao San Road - > ie central backpacker , Bangkok.

With no reservations, I 'm going on an adventure to find quality accommodation to budget price , and mission led me to NJ guesthouse, check-in , and I started my adventure Khao San.

Khao San Road : This is probably the image you have of Bangkok. Street signs and flashing lights and bright signs blind you from every angle imaginable , karts street along the streets in no particular order creating an obstacle course of fortune fruit and souvenir stands costs pad -thai . However, to really Khao San justice you need to take into account the availability of alcoholic beverages , beer , large and small, unique cocktails and a concoction Thailand , buckets Redbull vodka / whiskey :)

Shopping in Bangkok Of all the places to shop in the world , Bangkok has to be one of the best. All designer brands you could want are readily available in many air-conditioned malls (7 of which are directly connected by sky bridges to the BTS sky train station so you never have to leave air-conditioned glory ( in 40 degrees of humidity , smog and pollution of Bangkok) . My favorite has to be the MBK shopping center. I've been here at least 4 times since I came here and I intend to return in when needed. mall has 7 floors and is organized as a single market . 5 floors of shopping, dining incredible on 2 floors , movies and games.

Other notable shopping locations are street markets in Chinatown , Khao San and of course the mother of all markets , the market that all others are compared to , weekend market Chatuchak . No air conditioning here, but it is more than enough restaurants and cafes to make stops along the way , during and after you bleed your wallet dry with some shopping therapy . Massage chairs are also aligned along the way for those who need a little pick -up - trust me , you need a whole day (or 2) to do justice to this market.

Cinemas in Bangkok MBK shopping center is also where I took the 3D version of Alice in Wonderland . I also watched the screening of a Thai film , Nak - Prok surprisingly good English subtitles . All successful films are shown in English English in large theaters , and Thai movies with English subtitles ( just watch out for dubbing English Thai least popular. Seats Thai cinema halls are much more comfortable than we have at home , more spacious and much cheaper too! There is a unique practice, the Thai people to play the national anthem for the king before playing movies , remember not raise compliance by all the locals .

Street Food in Thailand: the cost of living in Thailand is lower than you can imagine and much of that can be attributed to the high quality food at almost every street corner. Street food is also known for its healthy in Thailand (but still pay attention because all street foods are created equal, and some suppliers may be less reliable than others. Generally , as long as there are lines at the stall (if there are many locals, this is even better) your probably good to go street food will generally cost you 30-40 baht ($ 1 to 1.33 ) per plate and you have your choice of fish , chicken, pork , spicy, sweet or spicy factor in a drink and a desert, and your still looking at around $ 3 for a meal with Chang beer and ice cream Thai . . : )

Massage : Whether your looking for a foot massage, back of shoulder or head massage , the famous Thai massage, lotion massage, full body massage or a really full body massage (if you know what I mean ) , you can certainly find it all here in Thailand, and at very affordable prices. As for other places in Asia where the cost of living is much lower than in the West , Massage massage parlors local cost you $ 4 to 8/hour for Thai massage and foot 6 $ -20/hour for oil massages . If you feel like indulging in a spa for the day , however , the good will cost between $ 100-200 for the day. I recommend hitting up your spa Massage Golf needs well, they are like a factory massage on several floors , but offer treatments Western-style quality but former value . $ 15 for a Thai massage 2 hours and $ 20 for a oil massage 1 hour ( see photo).

Until now , I had a Thai massage and foot massage and some massage oil . Overall, they were quite satisfactory , I highly recommend the Thai massage , although we warned a traditional Thai massage is known for pain and relaxation equal parts as molds you like a trained masseuse piece of putty; experience not to be missed though.

Akihabara: Welcome home master

My favorite part of Tokyo Akihabara is a destination not to be missed by anyone thats wants to experience modern Japan in all its splendor .
The journey is just beginning to Akihabara station , where you go to Akiba city a glorious monstrosity over 6 floors with any electronic you can think of and a whole lot more . Nearly two floors devoted to only the coldest and mobile phone accessories and more advanced ( I'll upload a pic of some crazy dongles mobile phone soon) I could literally spend days there, but I 'm retired and few hours and ventured further .

Next stop, another style skyscrapper mall to check out some of the other great offers Japanse and my visit to an original invention of Tokyo " main coffee " ** after 4 floors or fresh Japanese trinkets and -a- thing I madooes 'm online for " at Home Cafe household " , where I offer a choice of counter or in the living room , I just counter so I could really enjoy and savor the envrionment . the girls were all very bubly constantly Gigling , dressed to the T and tried to respond as best they can given their limited English skills. I ordered a latte , cheesecake shapped like a cats face , my total expense seat ( and my own membership card international bronze (no, I did not pay extra for it ) was about $ 17 dollars , so a little on the pricey but the atmosphere was well worth it , highly recommended!

Next stop: Shinjuku
This is the typical image you get from Tokyo traffic and huge crowds of people and subways where people are packed like sardines during rushhour . I finally found a really cool mall shopping center which had Pachinko *** on the ground floor and a games room on the 2nd (also an underground swimming area )
I visited a few arcades in Tokyo now and I must say that it is not to be missed . I spent most of my time on SF4 just because it was the only game I knew, tried a few others, but defenitely not the craziest there ... wait for it ... arcade game based on the trading card ... wow . HD huge where people buy collectible card games (all basic rules of trading cards screens, including rare but now you play against on a sensitive screen, move them as you would a stick arcade and follow the action on the screen. It must be seen to be believed ...

As a completely independent side note, invaded Virgin Radio Montreal , with the introduction of Virgin Radio, but ... then flew Mix 96 and brought him back to the UK? check http://www.mix96.co.uk/

** To cafes household uninitiated are spread all over Akihabara and theme varies from one to another, but the general principle is , you are greeted by Japanese bubly girls in suits relating to the particular theme of cafes, greet you warmly with a " welcome home master " so that you can relax after a long day of Tokyo. The menus are usually a bit limited , but the themes are limited only by Japanese imigination ...

*** Pachinko is a Japanese invention of crazy games and is apparently very addictive machine hybrid on / marble / playing cards

Thailand: Land of smiles

Thailand: Land of Smiles , cheap food and tuk -tuks crazy

After my time excited to Tokyo, and the flight of about 51 /2 hours , I was now at Suvarnabhumi look very sweet and his midnight airport. After avoiding taxi services and Summary ' limousines offer their services (they are everywhere in Thailand btw, if you are there for the first time make sure you never get into a taxi is not a taxi meter you will recognize by the large panels on top) , I opted instead for my first adventure using public bus in Thailand to get to Khao San Road ( oh and what makes it even more fun is that I have decided not to book a room for the first night , its all free style :)
So I asked around and found a shuttle from the airport to the central bus station , fortunately for most lines already stopped working. I had my handy Lonely Planet Bangkok ( The thank you guys ) and I knew I had to take the 551 bus to get closer to where I needed. Unfortunetly when I got the bus terminal only had 2 hours : (: . Public bus ( not So after all On the bright side , I met 3 other like minded travelers who were heading in the same direction and we shared a taxi ( the total bill was a huge ~ $ 13 400 Bhat split 4 ways haha ) so I was wondering around and installed for NJ Guesthouse, good rates and looked good , put my bags away and I started my first night on Khao San Road (its main backpacker / hippie area ) by this time, it was about two hours.
He was crazyiness everywhere, just look at the photo, it is setting all day here with street carts selling everything from fake id $ 1 padthai (I had my fair share at this point! @ )

Shibuya, Harajuku (Cosplay at its finest) & Omatesandu

Day 2: Shibuya, Harajuku, Omatesandu
Got up early in the morning (well didn't get much sleep anyway since I was to anxious to start the next day and I may have had a few green teas earlier in the night)

My first stop along the way was the Gold's Gym in Shibuya, an awesome facility on 3 floors (See attached pics) It had all the facilities you would expect from a world class gym including sauna & jacuzzi which felt great after the long travel. Their weights weren't as new as the ones back home .. but hey now i'm just being picky.
After that it was off to cosplay land; Harajuku. Turns out the goths sleep in and i was there at 9 which was about 2 hours to early for any actions so i ended up taking a stroll on the streets and checking out the punk/hipster cool shops and funky creps, they looked absolutely delicious and i debated eating the plastic demos for a moment. Take a look and tell you dont feel the same.
Next stop Omatesandu, where all the big name shops are located. Not much to see here, think 5th avenue, i'm not much for designer shopping to this was the shortest part of my trip.
Finally i headed over to Asakusa where I was staying at Smile Hostel. It's a quaint place, I stayed at their annex which was a couple blocks away from the main hostel, but it was much newer and the facilities were spotless :) :)

Adrift in Tokyo (Edo)

First night in Tokyo is definitely one that wont soon be forgotton.

As a first, the flight actually arrived half an hour before shedule ! I knew the Japanse were efficient but is it still timely if they are half an hour early? I defenitely didnt it though; I needed all that extra half an hour and about another hour for good measure just to figure out the Tokyo map and how I was supposed to head to where i wanted to go in the City from Narita Airport. Take a look at the map on the right hand side and you`ll see what I mean.

However after getting into Tokyo and to my first chosen district Shibuya which is really where all the youth hang out and I was supposed to see all the Japanese kids dressed up as their manga characters, but apparently thats more popular on Sundays, so i'll go back then :)

The one good thing that did come out of this is that I did find a 24 hour internet and Karaoke institution that offered very reasonable rates for an overnight stay, it was actually just what I needed/expected, private cubicle and your own computer (Quadcore and kicks major ass ... except that its in Japanese :S ) with very high speed internet. I'll post a better quality pic up when i get the chance, but thats the pic i took with my iPhone.

So, i'm pretty wiped at this point so I'm going to catch some asian Zzzzz's but i'll leave you with a few more pics that I took on my way around .

Shibuya is like the Time Square of Tokyo on speed, it stretches out quite a bit and has some awesome stuff to see.

Pic on right :Am i just seeing things, or is that a Fido sign, but backwards, and for a real estate agent???