HNL & China

China is the most populated country in the world with over 1.3 billion people. 

the China Airlines departure check-in area at Honolulu international airport is missing from the sign.

taking notes

foreign airlines > us airlines

my second free bottle of sparkling wine while watching Academy Award  winning movie on 10 inch screen. 

wheres my money!?

where's my money, bitch?!

ephemerality of food

Such fleeting moments of sensation...

my people

there are some people who look and sound like locals from Hawaii in the Osaka airport waiting area.  why does the sound of their Hawaiian accents infuriate me so much right now?

I think it's because they represent the responsibility and obligation  and boredom of going home.

kansai japan in eight days

it's been a long eight days.  14 hour days of walking, standing in ticket lines, standing in entrance lines,  standing in trains, standing in buses,  bad sleep, green tea and coffee.

eating good food,  great food, amazing food and weird food.

doing amazing things I didn't even realize wete on my bucket list until I did them.

pongalla curry

leftover thoughts

I don't know.  maybe it was just because my uncle's family has a totally different way of traveling/vacationing than what I'm used to.

maybe it's been too long since I've done a proper solo backpacking adventure .

traveling feels different now. 

Lost in Google Translation

didn't find my scarlet Johansson :(

first thing i do when I get home is watch Lost in Translation. 

I should buy a suit.

japan pre-departure deep thoughts

i'm in my happy place now: an appropriately high rooftop bar to watch the sun set over a foreign cityscape with pricey drink in hand, after a long strange trip.  

it is time for deep thoughts and contemplations.

japan pro tips 2

get a smart phone and local high speed data plan. t mobile's free low speed data is nice backup, but not great for heavy use. maybe a backup battery pack if you use a lot of gps or Wi-Fi.

tokyo, from what I hear, is straight eating and shopping and all the great weird japanese metropolis stuff.  Kyoto and Osaka in Kansai region has more traditional sightseeing stuff with more than enough modernity and shopping. 

the chinese tourist hordes have found japan, avoid wherever they go. although they are relatively well behaved for Chinese tourists, their sheer numbers ruin the vibe of peaceful japanese temples.

some japanese cities are tourist friendly, many are not.  Kyoto and Osaka is often surprisingly obstinate in their refusal to cater to the large number of tourists by acknowledging English as lingua franca. travel would be really really hard for those with no japanese or Chinese language skills in areas that are less tourist friendly.

be careful you don't nickel and dime yourself to death with all the seemingly cheap or reasonable prices.

train travel costs can add up.  

bring a carabiner or similar hook device for reasons.

shopping street

this shopping mall street is 2.4 km long.

like the other ones,  you literally can't See the end its so long. 

chaco

my spirit animal

owl cafe

an owl cafe...

happy happy happy

found the high ground

japan day 7: osaka

Osaka castle
owl cafe
shopping
onomomiyaki

japan protip

there are lots of signs, too many signs, but you should probably read all the signs.

considerate

considerate.  that is the word I was looking for to describe japanese culture.

kobe

japan summary

new plan: move to Japan, open up a little ramen shop. 

I love japan. 

japan met my expectations and hopes just the way I expected and hoped.  it was all very satisfactory. 

japan is the exact opposite of india: clean, polite,  no cow shit, beautiful queuing, pristine and plentiful toilets (the dirtiest toilet I saw in japan was still cleaner than the cleanest in India).

It's reassuring to know you could poo anytime and anywhere in public using hygienic restrooms.  that care free confidence, I can only imagine, must be what it feels like to have universal health care. 

this country plays really great jazz covers of American classic and pop songs. update: legit great cover songs.

japan day 6: kobe

cup noodle factory/museum
ikeda
kobe
sannomiya shopping

making instant noodles at the cup noodle museum

paying my respect to the cup noodle god. 

wise words of god King momofuko ando 

Japan: day 5

kuromon foods stuff:
shopping
maricar

me eating a usd$17/50 grams slice japanese wagyu beef.

various seafood

shopping street so long you literallly can't see the opposite end, it stretches to the horizon. 

greatest moment of my life. Mario costume, go cart, night streets of Osaka japan. 

coffee and cigarettes

ticking away,  the moments that make up a dull day

Sandai udon

mountain vegetables noodles. that goma sesame tofu thing was pretty special.

okunoin

at night.  even more unreal. 

eerie 

a fairy tale scene.

walking through was sometimes terrifying with your own ghosts, sometimes because of wierd chirping noises, creepy crows caws and mysterious noises.