Richard in Tokyo

Arg! Day 6 it was raining again so we didn’t do much. We spent most of our time shopping for gifts for our family and friends. We did get to go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building to check out the observatory deck. It was pretty tight even though we couldn’t see much because of the fog by the rain. I recommend going there on a sunny day. Oh! We also ate at a new place that served food on a conveyer belt. It was pretty cheap depending on what type of dish you’re getting, the food was fresh and the hot green tea was free. I’ll end it short because I felt our day ended short.

Oh I also decided to try out a new Japanese beer every night. These are my short reviews:

Asashi(Day before yesterday) – 8 of out 10 – light beer that taste good when eating with ramen

Sapporo(yesterday)- 6 out of 10 – light beer; strong taste like Budweiser so not my preference

Kirin Green Label – 9 out of 10 – goes down smooth and taste better than Asashi

For Day 5 we planned to visit the Ueno Zoo and the Tokyo Dome, amusement park, but our plans got cut short by the rain. We ended up only going to the Zoo only, but thats okay because it was still awesome. The Zoo here seems a lot more interactive than Houston Zoo. All their animals are just more lively and alive. We saw a parent Rhino teaching his young-ling how to fight, baby bears climbing trees, and polar bears taking a swim. There were abundant of red pandas and birds in the Zoo, which pretty much make sense because asians like bird watching and pandas. They use to have a giant panda, Ling Ling, but he died of heart failure unfortunately. If you ever visit Japan, the Ueno Zoo is a must go see attraction.

Ok im back to report for Day 4! We basically woke up at 5AM to go to the famous Fish Market in Tokyo. Where does all our sushi come from? Here! They have giant pieces of frozen tuna for auction every morning and this is where big time vendor come and buy their supplies. I also bought a fisherman head band because they look so cool wearing it. Surprisingly, the place did not smell that bad at all. Next we headed to the Japan Toyota center where we saw future models for their new cars. All I can say is, its most likely only going to work in Japan first because I don't see any american driving in small pods anytime soon. We then went to some kind of Kid Center where we pretty much took stupid pictures and look at cute animals. On the way back we rode the water boat, but couldn't afford the badass one that look like a sting ray.

There is literally every apparel brand known to man here. Ladies you would love it here, but it might be dangerous since you might have the urge to spend your life savings. There is mall especially design for you that is 9 stories high, and everyone who works in there looks like they came out of the magazine. All these girls in the shopping district look like Japanese barbie dolls and they all look the same. Even at the McDonalds, they had some dolls working the cashier and greeting people. What surprise me also was other races too, African PEOPLE! Just like in New York, where they handle shady deals to get you underground products. Here they spoke Japanese, way better than me which is so sad. Anyways its getting kinda of late and I need to sleep. I feel like theres a lot more to say about the subject, so I'll add so more when I get the energy.

Ok I've learn so many new things which separates our society with the Japanese. Things to note:

Sorry I should be updating more, but the Wifi isnt free at our hotel. So FINALLLY we get to Japan after a one hour ride from Houston to Dallas; two hour wait in Dallas; another two hour delay in Dallas; fourteen hours in the plane; and finally two hours in the bus to the hotel. I can tell you straight off the bat that everything is more expensive in Japan. Their purchasing power paritiy is definitely lower, meaning you can buy less with the buck here. We arrive at the hotel, check-in and then went out to eat. Then followed a drunk guy on the street. I'll update the blog again tonight in more detail, but I just want to go out and play right now. Its 6AM here but 4PM over there. Prepare for some new pictures and videos. Ill put it up on my facebook if anything else.

We are flying American Airlines from Houston to Dallas; Dallas to Tokyo. Its going to a 14 hour flight trip, so hopefully they are going to have some movies to kill time. In any other case, I bought my phone which is my substitute for an mp3 player and I have Alan and Harry to keep me company. Oh! I just find out that baggage(up to 2) is free when your flying to Asia so thats a bonus. Another thing to note is the currency exchange for USD to Yen sucks right now. My 1 USD dollar can only get me 92 yens, but for 2-3 years ago it was as high as 125 yens.