maccas, bullet trains and finding my inner zen

my two friends anna and carrie always insist that maccas (mickey d’s) in australia is shit (they’re from the states and canada); as i sat down to eat my third juicy chicken set-o since i arrived in japan, i realised this is true. they even have grape fanta as a beverage option!

i’ve had two ‘firsts’ this week. i went to a REAL zen garden (featuring the most beautiful sakura tree in the history of sakura trees) and caught the shinkansen (bullet train). i still have to get used to people smoking indoors - it’s really stinky but i guess it’s like walking into a public toilet; your nose adjusts eventually.

i caught the shinkansen to nara, the old capital of japan. the temple i went to see, todaiji temple, is surrounded by parks that are home to over a thousand semi-wild deer. i tried to take some snapshots with them but they were really only interested if you had biscuits for them to eat. and when you have biscuits, they know it! they run at you and bump their antlers at your arse and nip at your clothes until you give baby food! i quickly learned that the key is to stay calm and don’t run or scream (it can get overwhelming, all these animals converging in your aura!); i was in stitches watching little kids and mums yelling and carrying on with a herd of deer gallivanting after them!

it’s all my fault

i just found out from friends that the local in-ta-net-o café has changed one of their house rules: no skype in private booths.

i’m not good at lowering my voice!

sakura in bloom

it’s cherry blossom season in japan so i thought i’d give you a sneak peek at the beauty i’ve been lucky enough to see in real life.

nagoya in the sky

went to the sky promenade a couple of nights ago, where you take a ride in the fastest lift in japan to the top of the highest building in nagoya (46 floors). here’s a few sunset and night shots i got.

weird and wonderful ads on city streets

nihongo.. berry good!

a japanese native told me i have a good japanese accent! this means i might have a chance of impressing my boyfriend’s grandparents this summer.

yay!

you just got told!

ok. so today was a great day. i made friends with an aussie guy called stefan, and we went into downtown nagoya, got lost in translation, found some adaptors, ate cheap curry and beef and rice, shopped for groceries at the 100 yen store and traveled the subways without getting lost.

but we got told. twice. by elderly japanese women.

the first time, we were on the train. we were happily seated when the lady next to stefan glared at him and said something rather sternly in japanese (loud enough for everyone else on the carriage to hear). you didn't have to speak the language to know what she was on about. note to self: stand up for anyone who looks older than you (or has grey hair). we will definitely remember that rule!

the second time we were in the internet cafe just whispering amongst ourselves when the old lady sitting across from us gave us a death stare, yelled at us in japanese and then proceeded to yell 'GET OUT!'. giggling proceeded.

lessons learned: stand up for your elders and no talking in internet cafes.