Wow, what a great day. I am especially proud to be a Chicagoan today. I went to the Sox rally just down the street from my office, and man was it a mob scene! I was pissed that I didn't have a nice camera, I don't know what I was thinking leaving the house without my camera today - never leave home without it.
There was confetti everywhere on the streets of downtown Chicago today. It was one of those moments. I felt like I was in one of those old black & white photographs where they have images of parades after wars or somewhere along those lines. I was actually a bit surreal. I still can't believe the Sox won the World Series! GO SOX!
Friday, October 28, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
Hello Readers!
It's been a week since I've returned from Japan, and it feels great to be home here in Chicago. Go Sox! Hey, I am a North Sider, but the Sox are from Chicago too, right? It is strange going back and noticing little things, like department store employees not greeting you when you walk into their store, or cab drivers not helping you put your luggage into the trunk of their vehicle. I got spoiled with the overwhelming politeness in Japan. The edicate is just so different here in the United States. Coming from such a refined and culturally saturated society such as Japan, I can only imagine what the Japanese think of Americans when they travel to the United States. My guidebook for Japan mentioned something about the overwhelming politeness visitors receive when they visit Japan, but I wonder what Japanese guidebooks say about visiting America? Do they say, "don't be offended by rude Americans, it's just their culture"?
Even in such a huge city like Tokyo, which is the size of four New York Cities, I never encountered a rude person - well, only Gaijin (Foreigners) living in Tokyo. New York, on the other hand, is a different story. Well, sorry if I sound like I'm bitching, I am sure I will get used to my aggressive American ways once I get situated back in Chicago.
Check out my pictures:
Me on my birthday at the Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo
Me and DJ Heather at Club La Fabrique, Tokyo
Me and the Harajuku Girls in Harajuku, Tokyo
It's been a week since I've returned from Japan, and it feels great to be home here in Chicago. Go Sox! Hey, I am a North Sider, but the Sox are from Chicago too, right? It is strange going back and noticing little things, like department store employees not greeting you when you walk into their store, or cab drivers not helping you put your luggage into the trunk of their vehicle. I got spoiled with the overwhelming politeness in Japan. The edicate is just so different here in the United States. Coming from such a refined and culturally saturated society such as Japan, I can only imagine what the Japanese think of Americans when they travel to the United States. My guidebook for Japan mentioned something about the overwhelming politeness visitors receive when they visit Japan, but I wonder what Japanese guidebooks say about visiting America? Do they say, "don't be offended by rude Americans, it's just their culture"?
Even in such a huge city like Tokyo, which is the size of four New York Cities, I never encountered a rude person - well, only Gaijin (Foreigners) living in Tokyo. New York, on the other hand, is a different story. Well, sorry if I sound like I'm bitching, I am sure I will get used to my aggressive American ways once I get situated back in Chicago.
Check out my pictures:
Me on my birthday at the Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo
Me and DJ Heather at Club La Fabrique, Tokyo
Me and the Harajuku Girls in Harajuku, Tokyo
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Ron of Japan - Chapter III - 30 in Tokyo
I turned thirty years old today in Tokyo. I really do not feel any different. I am still a kid at heart. We went to the main temple today at Asakusa. I admit I got a little emotional. It had been a perfect day. Last night, we had dinner with Corey and his friends, all ex-pats here in Tokyo: P.J. from Chicago, Mark from New York, Nanako (who is half Japanese, half German) from Hamburg, and Rita (who is half Japanese, half Norwegian) from Oslo.
We went to P.Js place by Harajuku in this area called Jingumae. He had an amazing roofdeck with a great view of the skyline. Then, we went out to dinner at a fusion restaurant called Legato. The food was not especially great and we left hungry, but the setting was amazing. It had a very dramatic renaisance Italian theme, and we had our own private dimly lit room overlooking part of the Tokyo skyline. I felt like I was in some sort of Goth movie. It was really incredible.
Then, we went to this expat bar called Heartland, which was actually in Ropongi Hills, one of your favorite places in Tokyo. But the bar was really not that impressive, so we ended the evening at the bar at the Grand Hyatt, which was absolutely fabulous. Not bad for a thirtieth birthday celebration. It was a really chic lounge with a jazz band, and it had an old fashioned feel to it. A few more of Nanakos friends showed up, but I was pretty plastered at that point.
I turned thirty years old today in Tokyo. I really do not feel any different. I am still a kid at heart. We went to the main temple today at Asakusa. I admit I got a little emotional. It had been a perfect day. Last night, we had dinner with Corey and his friends, all ex-pats here in Tokyo: P.J. from Chicago, Mark from New York, Nanako (who is half Japanese, half German) from Hamburg, and Rita (who is half Japanese, half Norwegian) from Oslo.
We went to P.Js place by Harajuku in this area called Jingumae. He had an amazing roofdeck with a great view of the skyline. Then, we went out to dinner at a fusion restaurant called Legato. The food was not especially great and we left hungry, but the setting was amazing. It had a very dramatic renaisance Italian theme, and we had our own private dimly lit room overlooking part of the Tokyo skyline. I felt like I was in some sort of Goth movie. It was really incredible.
Then, we went to this expat bar called Heartland, which was actually in Ropongi Hills, one of your favorite places in Tokyo. But the bar was really not that impressive, so we ended the evening at the bar at the Grand Hyatt, which was absolutely fabulous. Not bad for a thirtieth birthday celebration. It was a really chic lounge with a jazz band, and it had an old fashioned feel to it. A few more of Nanakos friends showed up, but I was pretty plastered at that point.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Ron of Japan - Chapter II, Kyoto
Hi all. Wow, I am templed out here in Kyoto, we visited about 10 temples over the last two days, and they have been all amazing. Kyoto is an unbelievably amazing ancient city with hundreds of Buddhist and Shinto temples, beautiful arts and crafts, and the most amazing restaurants.
I spotted a couple of geishas last night in the Gion District, which is the main high class entertainment area here in Kyoto. It was really unbelievable. The streets of Gion are lined with countless high end restaurants and bars literally on top of each other. There are bars on various floors within each building. Most restaurants are secluded and discreet for privacy. Everyone seems so secretive in Gion. There are a lot of fast sliding doors closing once the geisha and entertainers say good bye to their patrons in this district. I don't see this area catering to the Gaijin (foreigners) very much. It is really an interesting culture here in Kyoto. You see a lot of women wearing traditional kimono, scurrying around to different shops and restaurants. Kyoto is the self-proclaimed cradle of Japanse society, so you can only imagine the tradition here.
We take the bullet train back to Tokyo tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.
Hi all. Wow, I am templed out here in Kyoto, we visited about 10 temples over the last two days, and they have been all amazing. Kyoto is an unbelievably amazing ancient city with hundreds of Buddhist and Shinto temples, beautiful arts and crafts, and the most amazing restaurants.
I spotted a couple of geishas last night in the Gion District, which is the main high class entertainment area here in Kyoto. It was really unbelievable. The streets of Gion are lined with countless high end restaurants and bars literally on top of each other. There are bars on various floors within each building. Most restaurants are secluded and discreet for privacy. Everyone seems so secretive in Gion. There are a lot of fast sliding doors closing once the geisha and entertainers say good bye to their patrons in this district. I don't see this area catering to the Gaijin (foreigners) very much. It is really an interesting culture here in Kyoto. You see a lot of women wearing traditional kimono, scurrying around to different shops and restaurants. Kyoto is the self-proclaimed cradle of Japanse society, so you can only imagine the tradition here.
We take the bullet train back to Tokyo tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Ron of Japan: Chapter I
Hi everyone. This is our second day in Kyoto, Japan. We went to Gion last night, which is the famous geisha entertainment district of Kyoto. It was a very quaint street lined with trees, restaurants, bars, saunas, and a little stream. We have been drinking sake every night, which I love. Today we are going to visit a few temples, first with the Ginkanku Buddhist Shrine in the eastern part of Kyoto, which is not too far from our hotel.
We arrived in Tokyo a few days ago, and I went out to see DJ Heather within hours of our arrival at the club called "La Fabrique", which was an ex-pat club. There was a handful of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans hanging out at the club, along with local Tokyoites. The Japanese went crazy over DJ Heather. It was insane. The crowd was extremely receptive to her. They screamed and cheered each and every time she made a cut. I met some very nice people there. The Japanese are extremely polite. I couldn't believe I stayed at La Fabrique for 6 hours. I chatted with Heather a bit after her set, which was absolutely amazing, as always. By the time I left the club, it was daylight. I felt like I was in a movie set. There were various young Japanese going home from partying all night. I walked into my apartment at 7AM. I was up for 24 hours straight, I couldn't believe I was still standing!
The first three days in Tokyo, we stayed at a really up and coming area called "Roppongi", with an amazing shopping and entertaintment center called "Roppongi Hills|". It is the ex-pat area of Tokyo, so I felt right at home. Did I mention that Tokyo is absolutely amazing? I went to Harajuku on my second day and saw all the beautiful creatures. I was thinking of Likalee while I was walking around the area. She would have been in Heaven there. Anyway, that's it for now. I will post more later.
Hi everyone. This is our second day in Kyoto, Japan. We went to Gion last night, which is the famous geisha entertainment district of Kyoto. It was a very quaint street lined with trees, restaurants, bars, saunas, and a little stream. We have been drinking sake every night, which I love. Today we are going to visit a few temples, first with the Ginkanku Buddhist Shrine in the eastern part of Kyoto, which is not too far from our hotel.
We arrived in Tokyo a few days ago, and I went out to see DJ Heather within hours of our arrival at the club called "La Fabrique", which was an ex-pat club. There was a handful of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans hanging out at the club, along with local Tokyoites. The Japanese went crazy over DJ Heather. It was insane. The crowd was extremely receptive to her. They screamed and cheered each and every time she made a cut. I met some very nice people there. The Japanese are extremely polite. I couldn't believe I stayed at La Fabrique for 6 hours. I chatted with Heather a bit after her set, which was absolutely amazing, as always. By the time I left the club, it was daylight. I felt like I was in a movie set. There were various young Japanese going home from partying all night. I walked into my apartment at 7AM. I was up for 24 hours straight, I couldn't believe I was still standing!
The first three days in Tokyo, we stayed at a really up and coming area called "Roppongi", with an amazing shopping and entertaintment center called "Roppongi Hills|". It is the ex-pat area of Tokyo, so I felt right at home. Did I mention that Tokyo is absolutely amazing? I went to Harajuku on my second day and saw all the beautiful creatures. I was thinking of Likalee while I was walking around the area. She would have been in Heaven there. Anyway, that's it for now. I will post more later.
