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MOre Writing from Tokyo
08.30.04 (8:31 am)   [edit]
I wrote a bit more from the Tokyo expierence under the planet of Cities... there was much more to write about... more on the way! in the mean time of been running around in the streets of NY fuckin City! and the republican National Convention is on it's way today... there's def a buzz about the streets... no more culture shock, just lovin'n being back in New York with all it's diversity
 
SUPERSIZED Reverse Culture Shock!!!
08.20.04 (1:11 pm)   [edit]

Home. But it's not really my home anymore. It's strange being here sleeping in my bed where I slept as a kid growing up on Long Island. I've had moments of immense culture shock and resistance to "embrace" American Culture since coming back from a 6 month trip in Asia! The problem is I don't want to embrace it! I am an American and I don't even feel that close to them now... reverse culture shock!!! let me fill you in on a little... it's hard to explain it to those who haven't stepped outside of thier own country and then tried renter into normal life again... well at least I'm not working yet... could use the money though!


I went Upstate to the Adirondack Mountains with my family, it was great to see everyone again. I was still jetlagged after the 26 hour journey to JFK. and 2 days later I was going on a road trip in the USA!


Let me tell you my jaw dropped at the mountainous size portions of food served to us at our favorite Big MOose Inn (a family tradition where our family dines in the Mountains)!!!! The Steaks, the Burgers, the potatoes, holy shit! Bigger is better... my stomach had shrunk eating the asian diet and I was happy about that... but now... SUPER SIZE!!!!


Then we went to a lake to do some swimming and I couldn't get over the size of the people bathing on the beach! they looked like beached whales!! It even took some getting used to hearing english all around me and listening in on other people's conversations... I kind of liked it when I couldn't understand the language around me... thier voices became white noise. now I have to listen to those annoying Long Island accents instead of British accents :) even my accent came back a bit!!!


Then there are the endless strip malls and giant cars and Wallmarts, and everything American... I saw a Civil war Monument in Vermont with a wallmart in front of it and 2 fat 12 year old skaterboys talking on their cellphones... everything looks huge here! maybe that's why they make everything bigger so we'll all look smaller!


But hey it ain't all that bad, I did get to the mountains and see the fam during a rainy week in August in our little rustic cabin. I even ate a real cheeseburger.
 
Fuji-San
08.02.04 (9:05 pm)   [edit]
Yesterday I went to the famed and beautiful Mt. Fuji. Although I wasn't able to climb to the top (didn't have enough time ;()

When I arrived at the foot of the Volcano it was covered in a thick cloud mass. I wasn't even sure about where the exact position of the mT was... but I took a chance and boarded a bus to the fifth station, 3,000 feet above sea level.

It was cold even at this altitude!!! There were tons of Japanese families, people my age in big groups and even the old ones gearing up to accend the mountain. THey all carried wooden walking sticks with bells and Japanese flags attatched to them as part of the traditon.

In a moments time the clouds shift and I had my first upclose view of Mt Fuji! I heard the clicks of cameras everywhere, even cell phone camera's! it was amazing!

I did a bit of climbing on the trail. THe area was covered in volcanic rocks and the clouds were rolling around the moutain. people looked like they were walking in and out of black and white Samurai movies. THe trees were typically Japan, spruce like giant Bonsai and all seemed to be twisted from the wind that blows on top.

as I walked back I had one of those moments where you feel so alive... I mearly cried. I kept thinking how 60 years ago my grandpa was in Japan... I kept thinking how happy everyone looked, familied together , friends... people waved and smiled and said hello to me in Japanese and English... I watched a little boy run down the path in sheer excitment as his grandparents laughed on.
 
the PLanet of Cities... TOKYO!!!
08.02.04 (8:41 pm)   [edit]
Tokyo is the only other city I've been to that comes close to the energy of NYC. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. I think I kind fell in love with it.

I roamed around the sub cities of tokyo with my digital camera, trying to absorb all the things around me, but a bit of sensory overload!! Tokyo doesn't have any kind of center, just cluster of cities that all fit together to make one giant one!!! tp see the skyline at night is a dazzling sight! I went to the top of Tokyo tower (?) in Ropoggi hills one night and was awestruck by the shear expanse and the glowing twinking lights and steams of traffic a neon lights that Tokyo pulsated. I felt like a kid whose jaw dropped open in amazment at this sight and kept exclaiming "wow! holy shit! it looks like that planet from "star wars"!, you know the one which entire land mass is covered in one giant city. I was amazed at how sprawling it is... truely a fasinating puzzle and maze of endless places to explore... you could never see it all, even if you lived here!

I also felt like I had timewarped into the future after being in the primitive natural places of SE asia. only Tokyo seems like a Japananimation with funky characters walking down the streets and strange telephone rings and hairstyles. You could even tell when a businesman had style just by looking at his hair. AndI can't even begin to descibe all the different styles which people sported out, these were whole looks from head to toe. like the "golden girls and boys" I liked to call them with golden hair, and sparkly skin, ckey makeup and silver lips, the boys had rod stweart hair and the girls looked like they had been in the tanning salon for to long... and they all seemed to congregate at 711's and drink beer and squeel at little things and sing like children in that high pitched Japanese way. how bizaree!! I just loved people watching here... and it was an inspiring place... Ikept thinking how much i wanted to capture what I was seeing in a photo or a drawing or by writing it down, but there was just sooooo much around me! I guess that's the inspiring thing about it!

TOKYO Wanderings and RANDOMNESS!!! from July 31st august 1st.
I have to write something i wrote in my personal journal and needs to be included here too!

It was a Saturday night in Tokyo and I had just met some Hostelites who had overheard a conversation I had about how Ugly western men I see with beautiful Asian women. That I had seen in much of Korea and here in Japan too. So a funny American guy spoke through the curtain that divided the kitchen and joined us in our conversation. Conrad from Michigan and Katie from Minneapolis. We cliqued quicky and decieded to buy some cheap Japanese Vodka fruit drink and sit in a park and chat.

We noticed a tall building which appeared to have a viewing area at the top. I pointed and said lets go there! So we walked in the direction of the large building. We were crossing under a pedestrain tunnel when i heard a foriegner talking in Japanese and then talking to us in broken English. "Do- you - speak english?" "where are you from" in the way Japanese people speak when speaking English. Only this boy had natural red hair. I thought he was shitting us at first. and I answered back mockingly... "Why are you speaking like that' and he mentioned how he had been working in TOkyo speaking Japanese all day and speaking English to French people at his job. i said he should hang ot with us and he'll be saying "dude and Awesome in no time" after all he was from Southern California!

So we were 4 crazy American's on the loose in Tokyo! The tower we had been heading to was closed and instead we went to a gajin., were NIck (our new friend) stole some beer in a case by the entrance. we chatted with some people and Conrad found a man he had a crush on (he's gay) he likes the hairy kind of guy... but got shot down when he offered to buy him a drink so we decieded to jet.

The next stop was a shady dark bar for a free shot. blasting hip hop... then outside once again. NIck wanted to find a gay bar for Conradt. so we met some Nigerian's who pointed us to the queen bee.

Up the elevator we went and entered into the domain of the queen bee. IT was tranvestite trangender bar... interesting... we all looked a bit shocked. I think most of them were from thailand. where lady boys are plenty. They circled us all excited that there were two boys among us. some of them were actually quite beautiful. but they were all once men! we wanted a gay bar with men... not men who were now women! One of them lifted her skirt and showed us her new operation! whoa., a bit much! They told us to drink here would cost $100 all you can drink! but we thought we'd be paying for they're operations... sorry lady boys... we don't have that kind of money to drop!

we ran out of there laughing hysterically and then running into a door of Vagina lips next! wow this night out was running into new territory. we ran around the shop a bit tipsy looking at all the toys... sparkly penises and costumes and brochures for Japanese S and M clubs... with a cute Japaneses ma and woman behind the counter smiling at the silly Gajin. In my drunken state I walked out with one of the Penis toys... as did Katie. I laughed when I realized I walked into Vagina lips and walked out with penis!!!

By now we were hungary... Pizza sounded good. we found a diner type place that served drinks and pizza at 4:30 in the morning! Tokyo is also a city that never sleeps!!! we ordered our slices and green slushy coctails... and laughed some more... Nick kept speaking Japanese to our asian waitress from England who didnt' speak any Japanese...

We Ran back into the streets of the Tokyo Dawn... and ran into a very drunk Old man with puke on his shoulder who kept singing a numbers song in Japanese and dancing for us... he followed us a bit before Nick told him in Japanese to get lost... By now the sky was that hazy gray blue just before the sun is about to break... and your eyes are starting to feel like there's sand in them... and night things are starting to shut and and morning things are starting to open... that means it's time to sleep if your a night thing...

I sleep on a floor mat traditonal japanese style with plans to meet our friend Nick tomorrow and smile on my face at the silly random night in Tokyo!
 
farewell asia
08.02.04 (8:19 pm)   [edit]
hello all, a big up,
I'm currently sitting at Incheon airport in Seoul Korea, just back from Tokyo!!! I'm headed back to North America today (stopover in Vancouver)... I'm not sure how i feel about it...
but I wanted to thank you all for making this trip what it was for me!! fantastic!!!!! it's people like you that I meet along the way that make me realize I'm never alone and there are tons of people who also have a passion for traveling! I'm glad we met at the right time at the right place, or the wrong time at the wrong place, in any case it's been cool and I have you all to thank for that. sorry if I'm getting sappy, but its been a blast. aughhhhh,
in about 15 hours I'll be in NYC!!!
I spent my last day in asia in none other then MT Fuji, couldn't a been a more beautiful place, although the transit system in Tokyo is a bit of a puzzle if you can't ready Kanji!!
anyways, drop me a line if we're ever at the same place at the same time, or anytime you wish!
keep it real and i'll be keepn' real in NEW YORK!! :)
peace out...
Julie