hi, i'm jenn

I love Japan. Today was day #2 in Fukoka. More pleasant than day #?because?we?weren?t????????to?find?our?hostel?with?packs?on?our?back?and?wrong?directions?in?our?guide?book??yeah?thanks?Let?s?Go?

Fukoka?is?cool???ate???????????????????????????????????????????????

today?finally?went?shopping?Fun?mistranslations?everywhere???I?have?pictures?of?favorite?stuff?like?the?t?shirts?that?talk?about?being?foppish?and?the?sign?for?Italian?Gerato?

We?are?staying?at???hotel?with?tatami?mats?so?it?s?like?a?slumber?party?

Okay?internet?time?is?up?More?later?

Also?emial?my?cell?phone??09044039814?AT?t9?ezweb?ne?jp?

Moved from Osaka to Hiroshima on Sunday. Good thing we have rail passes because we missed our first train. Would have been an expensive mistake, but for us it just makes the rail passes a more worthwhile investment by increasing how much we have saved in rail fares.

Here we’ve been staying with a friend of a friend of a friend (British Steve) in a pimping apartment that is bigger than a normal apartment back home. Having the best time – so good that we might just head back here for Saturday night’s July 4th celebrations (yes, it’s on July third but whatever). Sure it’s a three hour detour from our route, but we’ve got rail passes (and free accomodation here!), so why not!?

Sunday we saw some of the sites, and ate Japanese omlettes for lunch and a traditional Japanese dinner. We sat on the floor and ate unidentifiable stuff. It was yum.

Yesterday we went to Miyajima and ate Okonomiyaki in this building that is 4 stories of just Okonomiayaki places. Yum.

We climed My Misen at Miyajima, and it took like 3 hours up and was very hot. I sweat through my money belt and my passport and rail pass. it was gross. and i felt like sharing.

We’re going to go and finish up Hiroshima before heading to Fukoka this afternoon…

If you wanted a postcard, I forgot your address at home! So please send again!

It only struck me where we were going when we boarded our connection in Detroit. The proportion of Asian to non-Asian was worse than the faculty of math 😉

Arrived yesterday evening at like 6:00. After exchanging our vouchers for our rail passes (fingers crossed I don’t lose mine) we got on an “express” train to Osaka. I guess that express isn’t so express in a country that has “bullet” trains, cause it took pretty long to get here. There were more stops than on the entire young/university TTC line, I swear.

Anyways, met up with Flori’s friend, Martin. He escorted us to our hotel (Hotel Kinki) which we mistakenly entered through a back door where they were selling rooms by the hour (well, that’s what he told me. I don’t know what the sign said)

At the front desk we were checked in by a guy who said he was from Toronto. Cool!

Then headed to a bar in a different area of Osaka (We\re in Umeda, can’t remember where the bar was) and met up with some of Martin’s teaching friends. Pretty fun – lots of people our age with all sorts of accents. They were all going to stay out all night cause if you miss the last train back (it leaves at 12, and they live in Kyoto) it’s too expensive to get home until the first train in the morning.

Also, our hotel gave us Robe thingies with ties around the waist. Also, every bath/shower amenity including toothbrush/paste, razor, shampoo etc. It aint cheap, but this is the third most expensive city in the world.

One more thing – we still haven’t eaten a meal here. Ate fruit leathers and granola bars while we try and psyche ourselves up to go to a restaurant where we have no clue what we’re eating. So wish us luck 🙂

Do you know how to say Bacon in Japanese?

I do. It’s “Bacon”.

For a list of other Kosher/Non-Kosher foods and their translations, check out Kosher and Non-Kosher list of meat, fish and sea foods with a Japanese translations

Hello. this is Sakura Hotel at Tokyo, Japan.

Here is one thing we’d like to inform you

*ATTENTION*

There is a Japanese TV program who is looking for foreign travelers, are
traveling in Japan.
They would like to shoot travelers how you think about and see around Japan,
starts on July 5th(this is not sure) during your stay.

we believe this would be a very interesting memory in Japan for you.

so if you’re interested in this, please let us know when you check-in.
if not, that is not a problem….

we’re very looking forward to your arrival.

Best regards,

Sakura Hotel

I can ask for directions – but I can only understand “It is [not] here” or “It is [not] there”
I can say eat and drink – but I don’t know the name of any foods
I can say I am American – but I don’t know how to say Canadian
I can dial the hostels in Japan – but I can’t book a room

If you want a post card from Japan, send me your address via email (or post in the comments. whatever).

I am going to learn Japanese in the next 12 days with the help of Mr. Pimsleur (hope that link works) and MyPod.

Wish me luck.

I’m in Seattle! Yay!

And the more I wear my shoes the less comfy they get.

I’m seeing Harry Potter today too… so exciting!