Gomorra June 21, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Leisure , add a comment
Tik and I went to see Gomorra at RCA’s House Cinema.
I’ve been craving a good Italian mafia movie since reading ‘The Godfather’ a few weeks ago.
I found Gomorra quite a hard movie to sit through. Cinematically it was great but it’s didn’t hold my interest as much as I thought it would have done and my attention wandered towards the end.
Tigers in Thailand May 13, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Thailand, Travel Tips , add a commentI feel obligated to write a post about The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand because a lot of travelers have mentioned how excited they are to go there.
I’ve been there once and really do not recommend going it.
Here are my reasons:
Real-Life SuperHeroes May 4, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Creative / Humour , add a comment
I’ve scanned the internet for years, convinced that in America there must be some people who dress up in superhero costumes and try to solve crime.
It turns out I was right as this newspaper article details.
‘BNE Was Here’ Stickers Investigated May 3, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Miscellaneous , 2commentsFor at least 6 months I’ve been noticing these strange ‘BNE WAS HERE’ stickers around our apartment in Yannawa.
Also around the area I’ve seen spray-painted graffiti with the same wording or ‘King BNE’.
I also noticed exactly the same stickers around Japan in Osaka and Tokyo and it finally piqued my curiosity enough to Google it. (more…)
Back From Japan April 20, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentWow, with about 2,000 photos and a fortnight of non-stop eating and sightseeing, Tik and I have really got our work cut out to update the blog. We’re organizing the photos as I type.
Here’s a selection of the stuff we’ve been busy with: (in no particular order)
A Night At A Capsule Hotel, Tokyo – Japan Day 12 April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentCapsule hotels are space-efficient places to stay and are usually found in the city centers.
They are mainly used by Japanese businessmen but there are a rare few that have separate floors for women.
A Night On The Town, Tokyo – Japan Day 12 April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : CouchSurfing, japan, travel , add a commentWe’d arranged to meet Aikiko (and her friend Yuka) in central Tokyo to experience authentic tokyo nightlife.
Aikiko is a fellow Couchsurfer and both her and her friend Yuka spoke perfect English, have a very sharp sense of humor and we couldn’t have hoped for better hosts to spend our time with.
After an enjoyable dinner together we went to a bar in Omoide
yokocho (translates at ‘memory side-street’).
The area used to be a popular haunt for Yakuza but nowadays it’s safe, friendly and very fun.
We enjoyed refreshing beers here and also an assortment of grilled nibbles such as the mushrooms below.
The bar was only small and after about 90 minutes we were asked to vacate our seats for waiting customers but got a lot through some great food, drink and conversation during that time.
We left Aikiko and Yuka about 10pm and headed for a Pachinko parlor to finish off the evening.
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentShibuya is similar to Picadilly Circus in London. It contains large stores, bright lights and, a hell of a lot of people.
Edo-Tokyo Museum, Ryogoku, Tokyo – Japan Day 11 April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentWe returned to Ryogoku (the sumo area) during the daytime to visit the Edo-Tokyo museum.
This well-organized museum details the history of the city and contains both life-sized replicas of authentic buildings as well as very detailed miniatures.
Sumo Food in Ryogoku, Tokyo – Japan Day 10 April 15, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentIt was time for some serious Tokyo food so I decided to take Tik to Ryogoku which houses Tokyo’s sumo stadium.
The guidebook suggested we’d see a lot of sumo wrestlers walking around but April is not sumo season and apparently the high rental costs in the area mean that most wresting schools have since relocated.
It didn’t take us long to find a restaurant offering ‘Chanko-nabe’ which is a favorite Sumo wrestler food.
Japanese Sex Shops April 15, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentThe Japanese don’t seem in the least embarrassed about sex shops and they are well advertised and very easy to find.
I definitely believe that the schoolboy legend of schoolgirl panty vending machines are real. I did spent time looking but decided it wasn’t one of my must-see’s in the city.
There is YouTube footage showing it really does exist though.
Maid Cafes April 15, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentA nicely perverted phenomenon in Japan are the Maid Cafes. They are most prevalent in the Akhiabara area of Tokyo.
These cafes are hosted by pretty girls who dress up as french maids and speak with childish squeaky voices.
Customers (referred to by the staff as ‘Lords’ or ‘Masters’) are not allowed to touch these maids but can, at an extra fee, play a children’s card game with them. For your money you get expensive snacks, sloppy service and an earful of high-pitched giggling when your maid places your order at the table.
There was a seating fee of about 700 yen and the selection of food and drinks there was dull and really expensive.
Tik really was not impressed and neither of us really see the attraction of being pestered by squeaky adults so we didn’t venture any further.
Akihabara, Tokyo – Japan Day 10 April 15, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentI’ve been excited to get to Akihabara for years. This is Tokyo’s electronics district and I was keen to see some of the fantastic robots that we so often see on TV.
The Sushi Train April 15, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentTik and I take sushi trains a little for granted as they’re quite common in Thailand but they’re probably quite a novelty elsewhere.
Staying at a Ryokan, Asakusa, Tokyo – Japan Day 10 April 15, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentTonight was the first night we paid for accommodation as we had a hard time connecting with Couchsurfers who could host us in Tokyo.
We wanted to try a Japanese Guesthouse known as a Ryokan and checked in at midday.
The guesthouse called ‘Toukaisou’ is located in the Asakusa area of Tokyo.
What makes Ryokan very practical is that they all seem to prepare welcome information for their guests. We got a great map of the area with the recommended paces to eat and visit.
Hungry, as ever we headed first for a sushi bar.
