Super Surpise Come-back Post!

Actually, not so much of a come-back, as a sort of 'Special Edition'. For those not in the know, Liam or Lili as he is sometimes affectionally known is currently off in the land of Nippon. How has he come to be here, how long has he been there, and how long till he returns? Oh, and what has he done? These be the things that we be cover'in very soon. For your audio pleasure, I suggest/recommend listening to this tune as you read. It's working for me as I write at this very moment :)

Okay, Why am I in Japan? Some time ago last year, JetStar had some sort of a short-term sale. Tickets to Japan were cheap, and a good friendo said 'Hey man, let's do it'. The date was set for basically the entire month of Feburary. To cut a long story short, a lot happened, and the trip date was revised to 8th Feb till 28th Feb. This included a few days in Cairns before hitting Japan (arriving via Osaka), as I couldn't get the flights closer together.

So, as of the time of writing, I've been in Japan for about 9 days now and the trip is around half-way through. It's been good so far, though tonight has certainly been one of the... less structured. You see, I'm sitting in a small, smokey, cramped but otherwise comfortable cubicle in a 24-hour internet cafe in Tokyo. It:'s about 3:30am. But here I am, getting ahead of myself. I'll take you back to Cairns and begin.

After my usual late rush of getting organised for travel (/life), I had made it to the Perth Domestic Airport courtesy of Brother. I was surprised when the girl at the security scanner asked me what I thought about Kindles, and if I liked mine (Girls and technology? Since when did THAT happen? /braces for impact). I can't remember if I got scanned then or at Cairns airport for explosives, but it happened somewhere. It always happens. The going theory is that they are attracted to beards. Anyway, the JetStar flight over was relatively uncomfortable, though for no exact reason. Just... couldn't get comfortable.

My next fun little hurdle was that the in-theory organised shuttle bus never turned up. After waiting about 1/2 an hour, I caught a cab to the hostel. Seeing as I was arriving at 4am, they were actually letting me sleep on the couch for free that night, so as to not have purchased a night for 3 hours worth of sleep. That was maybe a bad idea on my part, as though the couch was suitable comfy, I woke the next day with random bites on my body, which would be itchy and persist for about the next 5 or so days.

After lingering on the couch as long as I could after sunrise, I went and got checked in, and promptly fell asleep again in a real bed. This was much more satisfying, though I effectively slept most of the day away. When I woke, it was raining, which was to be a recurring theme for the rest of my time in Cairns. Eventually, I got up and did a walk around town. Smallish, plenty of drinking holes, and quite relaxed. Returning to the hostel, I got to know some Dutch guys, who were also sleeping in my dorm. In addition, there was another guy. I forget his exact origin - it was Middle Eastern/Arabic, but he spoke fluent English with an American accent and looked more 'tanned' than actually having arab features/characteristics. We all went out to get dinner, and I soon found myself surprised at the amount of alcohol that is apparently thrown around in some places.

In this case, it was a 2-4-1 drinks night (regularly scheduled), though it actually became a 3-4-1 drinks night (apparently spur-of-the-moment, but I don't see that as being that possible...). Boozing occured, and eventually we made our way home. That wasn't before visiting another bar, where I, frankly, was somewhat surprised/put off by the spectacle. Basically, a guy on stage shouting sex-positions, and the drunken mass below getting in those positions, with the slowest people getting ejected. This continued for a time until only a few couples remained, at which time it was the slowest people having to remove items of clothing. There was someone operating a video-camera from a higher level, zoomed in on the women, which was being piped to big screens around the club. Somewhere along the way, I stopped laughing at started feeling uncomfortable. Funny (hah, they fell over) became sleazy (hah, sex positions) became ...? (hah, the majority of a bar perving on women drunk enough to barely stand).

And when I said earlier that we made our way home, I actually meant that the 2 guys went straight back to the hostel, and I tried the other bar with the other guy, and left him there. I then proceeded to get lost on the theortically 5-10 minute walk back to the hostel. I don't know how long I spent out there, but it felt like forever. I managed to get an incredible hot-dog from a guy in a van on the main street, as he kept entertained watching late-night black and white films on ABC. Seriously, it was just a weiner in a bun, but he had added like half a kilo of grated cheese and then microwaved it and smashed it with sauce. Being drunk may have helped, but wow, it was delicious.

Next day proceeded much the same, from memory. I slept for a long time, walked around, had dinner from a nearby mexican bar/resturant (Delicious, again), and read a book. I also watched parts of Thelma and Louise, which some girls were watching. An old Simpsons episode made more sense, though I had known the reference already. It was raining essentially the whole day...

Skipping ahead, I got to the airport the next day and was off on my flight to Osaka. The flight was much better, though again for no apparent reason. Arriving in Kansai International Airport, I was relatively lost. The train network didn't make much sense to me, and the staff at the JR office weren't that helpful either. Foolishly, I triggered my JR Pass earlier than I should have (Effectively, it allows free travel on the major rail networks for whatever period you have purchased; 7, 14, or 21 days. I had purchased 14). Oh, and the guy only marked it down as a 7 day pass. This comes later on in the trip, but it would take around 30 minutes to get fixed. Though I still get funny looks from every person who looks at it, and half the time get called back so they can have a closer look. At least they are vigilant about their work, when he was not...?

Anyway, I got in to town and set about finding my hostel. The directions weren't great, though it was also due to my having not purchased a subway ticket (subways/light rail not being covered by the JR Pass). Here I had my first taste of the Japanese politeness/care, as a guy in that station noticed I was looking a bit confused. He pointed me in the right direction, and I was able to walk to the hostel, albeit getting a little lost. (Note the trend folks; it won't be the last time I get lost). Finally arriving at the hostel, I'm greeted by a warmer, gentler world. The hostel was possibly my favourite one up to current date, being small (around 14 people maximum?) and of a generally classier feel than all the others. The manager would later explain to me that the owner, an architect, is looking to attract patrons somewhere above backpackers, but below businessmen. Apparently he's happy enough with anyone that is paying, though.

I dropped my bags next to my bed and went up to join the strangers-but-soon-to-be-friends in the living room. 3 Australians from the East Coast, and a girl from England, but living in the UK. Later, a Canadian would also join us. We sat and chatted and generally made friendly, and were shouted a free round of warm wine on the house (Not sake, mind you. I think there was even ginger in the bottom of the cup). Amusingly for me, a reoccuring topic with the Australian girl was that she paid out on bogans extensively, but often said some pretty dopey things herself. Not that I'm perfect either, mind :)

So, I have been writing for awhile now. More to come, on such topics and places as Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Beppu, Matsuyama, and Tokyo.