Jekyll2021-09-08T21:38:42-05:00https://drobnak.com/feed/Travel.xmlMatt D’s Blog | TravelA random blog.
Sleep and Photos2010-06-05T08:20:28-05:002010-06-05T08:20:28-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/06/05/Sleep-and-Photos<p>Finally was able to start to catch up on sleep - slept from 10 PM to 9 AM, although I first got up at 6…<br />
<br />
Anyway, some people have been requesting photos.<br />
<br />
This Link:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50324379@N03/sets/72157624068461089/detail/">Flickr Japan Trip</a><br />
<br />
Should bring you to the Japan Trip set so you can look at them.<br />
<br />
Remember, I took almost 1500 photos. All will not be up, as not all came out well, and I don’t really have time to process 1500 photos. LOL<br />
<br />
More will show up as I have time.</p>Finally was able to start to catch up on sleep - slept from 10 PM to 9 AM, although I first got up at 6… Anyway, some people have been requesting photos. This Link: Flickr Japan Trip Should bring you to the Japan Trip set so you can look at them. Remember, I took almost 1500 photos. All will not be up, as not all came out well, and I don’t really have time to process 1500 photos. LOL More will show up as I have time.Japan Thoughts2010-05-30T12:42:00-05:002010-05-30T12:42:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/30/Japan-Thoughts<p>What I’ve learned from this trip:<br />
<br />
Food in Japan is great, and has spoiled me forever.<br />
<br />
The US needs to take a page out of the Japanese book about how to be nice to foreigners. I did not encounter a single Japanese person who was not nice to us. <br />
<br />
The Japanese culture overall is one based on politeness, for the reason of - there’s a lot of people, in a small space. veryone needs to be nice to each other, or else they’d drive each other nuts.<br />
<br />
Japan needs to learn how to integrate foreigners better - every single time Leon spoke som e Japanese (which he picked up a lot in the time we were here), he got an almost astonished look. That’s because they are completely surprised that someone could understand their language or their culture. As it turns out, while they are very nice to visitors, if living in Japan, it’s very hard to get anywhere as a non-Japanese person.<br />
<br />
Plan out your day, and stick to it - it’s hard to get around here sometimes without really good maps.<br />
<br />
Make sure you have an up to date guidebook - the Lonely Planet guide for Tokyo was way too old, though the Japan book was reasonably accurate.<br />
<br />
Japan is a beautiful country, but the Mountains make everyone live in small areas.<br />
<br />
The Japan Rail Pass is definitely worth it if you take the Shinkansen at least once. You NEED to use JR all the time. We didn’t use the subway nearly as much as I thought, and even when we did, it was cheap.<br />
<br />
There are a LOT of people in Japan. It was a huge sea of people leaving each train at the JR station.<br />
<br />
There’s a dollar store everywhere in the world.<br />
<br />
Don Quijote is the place to buy ANYTHING in a pinch.<br />
<br />
Tokyo is not as advanced as everyone thinks - they’re a little ahead of things, but not so out-there any more.<br />
<br />
It’s nice to have trains which tell you how long to each destination, and make it there at that time.<br />
<br />
Japan loves little musical jingles to go before any announcement. The trains are the best.<br />
<br />
There are vending machines EVERYWHERE.<br />
<br />
<br />
I intend on going back, not sure where to go next time.</p>What I’ve learned from this trip: Food in Japan is great, and has spoiled me forever. The US needs to take a page out of the Japanese book about how to be nice to foreigners. I did not encounter a single Japanese person who was not nice to us. The Japanese culture overall is one based on politeness, for the reason of - there’s a lot of people, in a small space. veryone needs to be nice to each other, or else they’d drive each other nuts. Japan needs to learn how to integrate foreigners better - every single time Leon spoke som e Japanese (which he picked up a lot in the time we were here), he got an almost astonished look. That’s because they are completely surprised that someone could understand their language or their culture. As it turns out, while they are very nice to visitors, if living in Japan, it’s very hard to get anywhere as a non-Japanese person. Plan out your day, and stick to it - it’s hard to get around here sometimes without really good maps. Make sure you have an up to date guidebook - the Lonely Planet guide for Tokyo was way too old, though the Japan book was reasonably accurate. Japan is a beautiful country, but the Mountains make everyone live in small areas. The Japan Rail Pass is definitely worth it if you take the Shinkansen at least once. You NEED to use JR all the time. We didn’t use the subway nearly as much as I thought, and even when we did, it was cheap. There are a LOT of people in Japan. It was a huge sea of people leaving each train at the JR station. There’s a dollar store everywhere in the world. Don Quijote is the place to buy ANYTHING in a pinch. Tokyo is not as advanced as everyone thinks - they’re a little ahead of things, but not so out-there any more. It’s nice to have trains which tell you how long to each destination, and make it there at that time. Japan loves little musical jingles to go before any announcement. The trains are the best. There are vending machines EVERYWHERE. I intend on going back, not sure where to go next time.Japan Day 10 - May 292010-05-29T11:41:00-05:002010-05-29T11:41:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/29/Japan-Day-10-May-29<p>Leaving for home. <img src="/img/emoticons/sad.png" alt=":-(" class="emoticon" /> I will miss Japan.<br />
<br />
Checked out at around 11 AM from the hotel, then did the thing we will be doing a lot today - waiting. Waiting until 12 PM to go to the MCDonalds outside so that we can sit outside with our luggage for a while waiting to get on the train, the Narita Express.<br />
<br />
Had lunch at McDonalds, found the train easy enough. An hour later, arrived at the airport, and as expected, the Boken Leon bought is already causing trouble. The security staff from the train wanted to wrap it in newspaper, so of course we oblidge them. Up 4 escalators to departures. The staff were helpful in getting us checked in. Had to have the boken boxed up in a “sporting accessory” box from ANA, and then X-rayed. Went through security and immigration without too much incident. Now we’re in the ANA lounge, which is HUGE. Easily 10-20 times the size of the US one. Anything you can think of, it’s here. Beer, coffee, soda, sushi, soba noodles, wine, sandwiches, soup….<br />
<br />
On the flight now from Japan to LA. It’s getting dark, and fast. Take-off was delayed due to a storm approaching Narita Airport. Once we were getting ready for take-off, something cool happened - they turned on a camera! They have three screens in the cabin, and displayed it on them. For the first time, I saw what was happening as we took off. It was very cool. As soon as we got in the air, it switched to a birds-eye view, and it’s been on since then.They switched it to a map of our flight, and also showed some news on it, but it’s back to the flight map. However, on the screens at the seat, you can still turn on the camera, which is seemingly in IR mode now, so it can be seen even in the dark. Right now, we’re over a bunch of water. <br />
<br />
This is definitely a weird day - starting off in the afternoon, coming in at 11 AM to LA, then back in NY around 10 PM. What a ride.<br />
<br />
Wired internet isn’t working on this flight it seems. <img src="/img/emoticons/sad.png" alt=":-(" class="emoticon" /> I get an IP address, but nothing pings or resolves. Oh well.<br />
<br />
Now enjoying my plum wine. Better then what I’ve had the US. Notice a trend here?<br />
<br />
I’m being a pig. I ate the whole snack in two bites. Tiny bread thing, cheddar cheese, peperoni and sundried tomato.<br />
<br />
There’s a game show called “Big Time Spender.” Apparently the Chinese are taking a play from the Japanese book for this one - it’s a Chinese game show.<br />
<br />
6:30 PM JST - Time for main meal, have to move the laptop.<br />
<br />
Watched Intolerable Cruelty, which was funny but stupid ending.<br />
<br />
Tried to get some sleep, but someone in a few rows up has on their seat light and their overhead one on. Highly annoying. In a cabin that’s completely dark so that everyone can sleep, it’s kinda rude. What’s weird is this goes against the Japanese philosophy of not annoyint anothers, but the person in that row looks Japanese. The seat is still kinda annoying for tall people to sleep in. Finally, it’s freaking hot in the cabin. The guy next to where Leon’s bag was is wafting himself with paper as it’s so hot. That’s the other reason neither myself or Leon can sleep. It’s starting to get light out, it’s 7:20 AM in California, and we’re still over the Pacific ocean.<br />
<br />
Three hours left.<br />
<br />
This is going to be a long day.<br />
<br />
As predicted, it was a long day. Next up was the JetBlue flight, which of course, as predicted, gave us issues with the Boken. $30 to check it, but otherwise wasn’t that big of a deal I suppose. Just inconvenient. We got the “even more legroom” seats, which at $50 extra / seat, weren’t really worth it. The main issue was the seats are not wide enough, and on the A320 they stuff 6 across. Who cares about leg room when you can barely wiggle around.<br />
<br />
Anyway, once that was over, we got in to JFK, got our stuff, and went to get some food. Then went to Leon’s and finally got to bed.</p>Leaving for home. I will miss Japan. Checked out at around 11 AM from the hotel, then did the thing we will be doing a lot today - waiting. Waiting until 12 PM to go to the MCDonalds outside so that we can sit outside with our luggage for a while waiting to get on the train, the Narita Express. Had lunch at McDonalds, found the train easy enough. An hour later, arrived at the airport, and as expected, the Boken Leon bought is already causing trouble. The security staff from the train wanted to wrap it in newspaper, so of course we oblidge them. Up 4 escalators to departures. The staff were helpful in getting us checked in. Had to have the boken boxed up in a “sporting accessory” box from ANA, and then X-rayed. Went through security and immigration without too much incident. Now we’re in the ANA lounge, which is HUGE. Easily 10-20 times the size of the US one. Anything you can think of, it’s here. Beer, coffee, soda, sushi, soba noodles, wine, sandwiches, soup…. On the flight now from Japan to LA. It’s getting dark, and fast. Take-off was delayed due to a storm approaching Narita Airport. Once we were getting ready for take-off, something cool happened - they turned on a camera! They have three screens in the cabin, and displayed it on them. For the first time, I saw what was happening as we took off. It was very cool. As soon as we got in the air, it switched to a birds-eye view, and it’s been on since then.They switched it to a map of our flight, and also showed some news on it, but it’s back to the flight map. However, on the screens at the seat, you can still turn on the camera, which is seemingly in IR mode now, so it can be seen even in the dark. Right now, we’re over a bunch of water. This is definitely a weird day - starting off in the afternoon, coming in at 11 AM to LA, then back in NY around 10 PM. What a ride. Wired internet isn’t working on this flight it seems. I get an IP address, but nothing pings or resolves. Oh well. Now enjoying my plum wine. Better then what I’ve had the US. Notice a trend here? I’m being a pig. I ate the whole snack in two bites. Tiny bread thing, cheddar cheese, peperoni and sundried tomato. There’s a game show called “Big Time Spender.” Apparently the Chinese are taking a play from the Japanese book for this one - it’s a Chinese game show. 6:30 PM JST - Time for main meal, have to move the laptop. Watched Intolerable Cruelty, which was funny but stupid ending. Tried to get some sleep, but someone in a few rows up has on their seat light and their overhead one on. Highly annoying. In a cabin that’s completely dark so that everyone can sleep, it’s kinda rude. What’s weird is this goes against the Japanese philosophy of not annoyint anothers, but the person in that row looks Japanese. The seat is still kinda annoying for tall people to sleep in. Finally, it’s freaking hot in the cabin. The guy next to where Leon’s bag was is wafting himself with paper as it’s so hot. That’s the other reason neither myself or Leon can sleep. It’s starting to get light out, it’s 7:20 AM in California, and we’re still over the Pacific ocean. Three hours left. This is going to be a long day. As predicted, it was a long day. Next up was the JetBlue flight, which of course, as predicted, gave us issues with the Boken. $30 to check it, but otherwise wasn’t that big of a deal I suppose. Just inconvenient. We got the “even more legroom” seats, which at $50 extra / seat, weren’t really worth it. The main issue was the seats are not wide enough, and on the A320 they stuff 6 across. Who cares about leg room when you can barely wiggle around. Anyway, once that was over, we got in to JFK, got our stuff, and went to get some food. Then went to Leon’s and finally got to bed.Japan Day 9 - May 282010-05-28T11:39:00-05:002010-05-28T11:39:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/28/Japan-Day-9-May-28<p>Need to get things to bring back today, as well as money to buy said items.<br />
<br />
We ended up going to Akasuksa to get souvenirs. Tried Mos Burger for lunch. Was the first not-too-impressive food we’ve had here. Again though, not-too-impressive is still good. Not sure what it is about the food here, it’s just that good. <br />
<br />
Came back to the hotel and tried to pack everything up..Didn’t work. Went to get another bag. Tried the concierge, who led us to a place, but extremely expensive - like $450 and up, which was way too expensive. So we came back, got some ramen, and tried looking up stuff online. Leon found a place called “Don Quijote” literally, like the character…but nobody online can spell it right. In any case, this store has pretty much everything. We went back out, found a suitcase for $100, and came back. It was surprising to see the amount of people on the train, a good portion of which were drunk.<br />
<br />
The Leica: Noticed a spot of dust on the sensor. Kinda sucks, but only in a few pics is it noticeable.</p>Need to get things to bring back today, as well as money to buy said items. We ended up going to Akasuksa to get souvenirs. Tried Mos Burger for lunch. Was the first not-too-impressive food we’ve had here. Again though, not-too-impressive is still good. Not sure what it is about the food here, it’s just that good. Came back to the hotel and tried to pack everything up..Didn’t work. Went to get another bag. Tried the concierge, who led us to a place, but extremely expensive - like $450 and up, which was way too expensive. So we came back, got some ramen, and tried looking up stuff online. Leon found a place called “Don Quijote” literally, like the character…but nobody online can spell it right. In any case, this store has pretty much everything. We went back out, found a suitcase for $100, and came back. It was surprising to see the amount of people on the train, a good portion of which were drunk. The Leica: Noticed a spot of dust on the sensor. Kinda sucks, but only in a few pics is it noticeable.Japan Day 8 - May 272010-05-27T10:26:00-05:002010-05-27T10:26:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/27/Japan-Day-8-May-27<p>Up @ 9:45 AM.<br />
<br />
Not sure what we’re going to do today. Have to be checked-out of the hotel by 12. Train back is at 6 PM. Going to go to Nijo Castle at minimum. We’re going to take our stuff with us, so not sure what we’re going to do.<br />
<br />
We went to Nijo castle, which I kept calling Ninjo castle. Thankfully, I found ways around having to take the bus again in Kyoto. We ended up taking the subway up, which was pretty easy. Twice today we were stopped by older women making sure we knew how to get where we were going. The second lady spent a few minutes talking with us, commenting to Leon that his pronunciation of Japanese was very good.<br />
<br />
The castle itself was kinda interesting, although, they clearly signed every 10 feet, no photos, no drawings of anything in the interior. The other interesting thing was that the floor boards were designed to creak so as to alert the Shogun’s guards of intruders.<br />
<br />
We also met Julia from Germany at the castle. She had gotten lost from the rest of her group, and also wanted us to take a picture of her. She was part of a musical group traveling Japan. We had a fun time talking with her, and she stayed with us until we left the castle. She will be in NY in June, and we are going to meet up with her and probably show her around Manhattan.<br />
<br />
We also got to go to the Arashiyama Monkey park, which was a lot of fun. It was quite a trek up the mountain, but well worth it. Leon and I fed the monkeys, and we got to watch them in their habitat. I also got quite a few good shots of the city of Kyoto as well. I will be able to put together a nice Panaroma. We also rode a JR express line as well as the Shinkansen.<br />
<br />
Stopped at “Log Kit” which was a burger joint. We both got cheeseburgers, and in the end, it wasn’t THAT much more expensive then other things we got. However, the burger was 1/8” thick, but kinda big. It was pretty tasty - it had mayo, ketchup, and mustard on it. As with all things in Japan, it had it’s spin on it, and it was tasty.<br />
<br />
We took the Shinkansen back from Kyoto to Shinagawa. This time we were in the green cars. The seats were even bigger, had foot rests, and reclined a little more. Other then that, we got a wet towel when we first got in the car. Otherwise, it was pretty much the same as non-Green cars.<br />
<br />
Money: Still broke. Leon is also almost out of cash, thanks to me.<br />
<br />
The Leica: I noticed this at the aquarium, and thought it was because of IR issues, but the Leica does not render purple correctly. Purple shows up as blue.</p>Up @ 9:45 AM. Not sure what we’re going to do today. Have to be checked-out of the hotel by 12. Train back is at 6 PM. Going to go to Nijo Castle at minimum. We’re going to take our stuff with us, so not sure what we’re going to do. We went to Nijo castle, which I kept calling Ninjo castle. Thankfully, I found ways around having to take the bus again in Kyoto. We ended up taking the subway up, which was pretty easy. Twice today we were stopped by older women making sure we knew how to get where we were going. The second lady spent a few minutes talking with us, commenting to Leon that his pronunciation of Japanese was very good. The castle itself was kinda interesting, although, they clearly signed every 10 feet, no photos, no drawings of anything in the interior. The other interesting thing was that the floor boards were designed to creak so as to alert the Shogun’s guards of intruders. We also met Julia from Germany at the castle. She had gotten lost from the rest of her group, and also wanted us to take a picture of her. She was part of a musical group traveling Japan. We had a fun time talking with her, and she stayed with us until we left the castle. She will be in NY in June, and we are going to meet up with her and probably show her around Manhattan. We also got to go to the Arashiyama Monkey park, which was a lot of fun. It was quite a trek up the mountain, but well worth it. Leon and I fed the monkeys, and we got to watch them in their habitat. I also got quite a few good shots of the city of Kyoto as well. I will be able to put together a nice Panaroma. We also rode a JR express line as well as the Shinkansen. Stopped at “Log Kit” which was a burger joint. We both got cheeseburgers, and in the end, it wasn’t THAT much more expensive then other things we got. However, the burger was 1/8” thick, but kinda big. It was pretty tasty - it had mayo, ketchup, and mustard on it. As with all things in Japan, it had it’s spin on it, and it was tasty. We took the Shinkansen back from Kyoto to Shinagawa. This time we were in the green cars. The seats were even bigger, had foot rests, and reclined a little more. Other then that, we got a wet towel when we first got in the car. Otherwise, it was pretty much the same as non-Green cars. Money: Still broke. Leon is also almost out of cash, thanks to me. The Leica: I noticed this at the aquarium, and thought it was because of IR issues, but the Leica does not render purple correctly. Purple shows up as blue.Japan Day 7 - May 262010-05-26T10:21:00-05:002010-05-26T10:21:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/26/Japan-Day-7-May-26<p>Took the Shinkansen to Kyoto. The trip was fine, and at an OK pace. It was almost a 2:40 ride. <br />
<br />
Kyoto is beautiful. The weather has been better then expected. Leon is complaining that I don’t write about him. So there. Leon has been a very good sport. His feet have been bothering him. We checked into the hotel, which is right above the JR station. It’s the Hotel Granvia Kyoto. Very cool place. I’m not sure if it’s the standard line, but as with our main hotel, it seems that the rooms are “full” and we got an upgrade. However, this time, it seems accurate, as we are again on the top floor. It IS extra for the top floor, so yay! The view is awesome from here too.<br />
<br />
We saw two shrines today. They were both very exquisite. The architecture is most interesting to me, and it’s definitely a good contrast to the urban city of Tokyo and Kyoto. We ran into these kids when going to the second shrine / temple, and they were adorable. They asked us if we spoke English, they told us their names, and asked us ours. They then asked if we were enjoying Japan, and where we were from. Everyone is very friendly here.<br />
<br />
The buses, on the other hand, were not fun. They are backwards - you enter in the rear, and exit in the front. You also pay when you leave, instead of when you board. This leads to quite a bit of foot traffic through the middle of the bus. The bus is also skinnier then a US bus, so this is not a matter to be taken lightly.<br />
<br />
I have officially run out of money. I got some gifts, but not for everyone.<br />
<br />
went to anoter katsu place for dinner. not as good as first. different sacues then usual, which made for an intersting mea. Had sake. Matt is happy. Leon is unnfacted. Had moch and parfait for dssert. bck in hotel roomj. Not ewatching as I type, this is bound to have lots of mistakes. Ha ha ha.<br />
<br />
Kyoto seems like a place to come back to, and have Tokyo be a satellite trip, instead of the other way around. This is not to mean that Tokyo is not worthy of a second trip - the next time we should come for like two weeks, and allow time for both.<br />
<br />
Everyone is very nice in Kyoto, and we had a very warm welcome here. We seem to stand out a little bit more then in Tokyo, but that’s not to say we are the only foreigners here. <br />
<br />
It’s almost 10 PM, time to get ready for bed.<br />
<br />
Money: 0.<br />
<br />
The Leica: Metering still sucks. I tend to see how it meters it and if I know it’s going to be wrong, I take a guess at the correct shutter speed, test, and take another if necessary. I like on the Canon and even Nikons for that matter you can specify where you want the metering to be from - a spot, center average, or multi-point. Leica is center only, and it’s not that great in my experience.</p>Took the Shinkansen to Kyoto. The trip was fine, and at an OK pace. It was almost a 2:40 ride. Kyoto is beautiful. The weather has been better then expected. Leon is complaining that I don’t write about him. So there. Leon has been a very good sport. His feet have been bothering him. We checked into the hotel, which is right above the JR station. It’s the Hotel Granvia Kyoto. Very cool place. I’m not sure if it’s the standard line, but as with our main hotel, it seems that the rooms are “full” and we got an upgrade. However, this time, it seems accurate, as we are again on the top floor. It IS extra for the top floor, so yay! The view is awesome from here too. We saw two shrines today. They were both very exquisite. The architecture is most interesting to me, and it’s definitely a good contrast to the urban city of Tokyo and Kyoto. We ran into these kids when going to the second shrine / temple, and they were adorable. They asked us if we spoke English, they told us their names, and asked us ours. They then asked if we were enjoying Japan, and where we were from. Everyone is very friendly here. The buses, on the other hand, were not fun. They are backwards - you enter in the rear, and exit in the front. You also pay when you leave, instead of when you board. This leads to quite a bit of foot traffic through the middle of the bus. The bus is also skinnier then a US bus, so this is not a matter to be taken lightly. I have officially run out of money. I got some gifts, but not for everyone. went to anoter katsu place for dinner. not as good as first. different sacues then usual, which made for an intersting mea. Had sake. Matt is happy. Leon is unnfacted. Had moch and parfait for dssert. bck in hotel roomj. Not ewatching as I type, this is bound to have lots of mistakes. Ha ha ha. Kyoto seems like a place to come back to, and have Tokyo be a satellite trip, instead of the other way around. This is not to mean that Tokyo is not worthy of a second trip - the next time we should come for like two weeks, and allow time for both. Everyone is very nice in Kyoto, and we had a very warm welcome here. We seem to stand out a little bit more then in Tokyo, but that’s not to say we are the only foreigners here. It’s almost 10 PM, time to get ready for bed. Money: 0. The Leica: Metering still sucks. I tend to see how it meters it and if I know it’s going to be wrong, I take a guess at the correct shutter speed, test, and take another if necessary. I like on the Canon and even Nikons for that matter you can specify where you want the metering to be from - a spot, center average, or multi-point. Leica is center only, and it’s not that great in my experience.Japan Day 6 - May 252010-05-25T10:13:00-05:002010-05-25T10:13:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/25/Japan-Day-6-May-25<p>Went to the Ueno Zoo today. That was fun. Leica got some 50mm lens action today. Forgot to charge the Canon battery, so that was out after only a few shots. The IS stabilzation eats up the battery, which I had on most of the time yesterday at the Sea Lion and Dolphin shows. <br />
<br />
Ate dinner at the Isetan building in Shinjuku. Good, but not as good as the place in Roppongi. Going to Kyoto tomorrow, got our seats all set on the Shinkansen.<br />
<br />
Money: After going to 7-11 - 7000 Yen. Paid for dinner, half of breakfast (4300 + 1000). Ouch. We still haven’t gotten gifts yet.<br />
<br />
The Leica: Shutter fault, again. Power cycle fixed, but not good. 50mm lens good in low light. High contrast makes it difficult to get good low light shots without seemingly blowing out the highlights. Thankfully Lightroom fixes that up.<br />
<br /></p>Went to the Ueno Zoo today. That was fun. Leica got some 50mm lens action today. Forgot to charge the Canon battery, so that was out after only a few shots. The IS stabilzation eats up the battery, which I had on most of the time yesterday at the Sea Lion and Dolphin shows. Ate dinner at the Isetan building in Shinjuku. Good, but not as good as the place in Roppongi. Going to Kyoto tomorrow, got our seats all set on the Shinkansen. Money: After going to 7-11 - 7000 Yen. Paid for dinner, half of breakfast (4300 + 1000). Ouch. We still haven’t gotten gifts yet. The Leica: Shutter fault, again. Power cycle fixed, but not good. 50mm lens good in low light. High contrast makes it difficult to get good low light shots without seemingly blowing out the highlights. Thankfully Lightroom fixes that up.Japan Day 5 - May 242010-05-24T10:08:00-05:002010-05-24T10:08:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/24/Japan-Day-5-May-24<p>Had issue with laptop not starting. That was not fun.<br />
Today is going to be a very quiet day - Leon didn’t sleep well, and most attractions are closed on Monday. Not sure what we’re going to do. We ate at the combination Western / Japanese buffet for breakfast at the hotel. The Japanese breakfast stuff I can do without, otherwise it was good. Leon’s been resting since then. I haven’t been doing all that much myself, either. I’m going to throw up a few photos on flickr, of the past few days..<br />
<br />
Ended up going to the Aquarium and saw the sea lion and dolphin shows. Unfortunately, we found out that there was a discount for hotel guests, but we didn’t get it when we bought the tickets. We didn’t get it back, either. Oh well, live and learn.<br />
<br />
We went back to the ramen place for dinner. Easy and cheap.<br />
<br />
Money: 12000 Yen.<br />
<br />
The Lecia: Nothing new to report. Low light performance was not good for aquarium. Color shift apparent in certain cases - some purple colors come out blue. Hard to do action with the Leica, the Canon got a lot of use.<br />
<br /></p>Had issue with laptop not starting. That was not fun. Today is going to be a very quiet day - Leon didn’t sleep well, and most attractions are closed on Monday. Not sure what we’re going to do. We ate at the combination Western / Japanese buffet for breakfast at the hotel. The Japanese breakfast stuff I can do without, otherwise it was good. Leon’s been resting since then. I haven’t been doing all that much myself, either. I’m going to throw up a few photos on flickr, of the past few days.. Ended up going to the Aquarium and saw the sea lion and dolphin shows. Unfortunately, we found out that there was a discount for hotel guests, but we didn’t get it when we bought the tickets. We didn’t get it back, either. Oh well, live and learn. We went back to the ramen place for dinner. Easy and cheap. Money: 12000 Yen. The Lecia: Nothing new to report. Low light performance was not good for aquarium. Color shift apparent in certain cases - some purple colors come out blue. Hard to do action with the Leica, the Canon got a lot of use.Japan Day 4 - May 232010-05-23T09:48:00-05:002010-05-23T09:48:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/23/Japan-Day-4-May-23<p>Couldn’t really decide what to do today, so just decided to get some good food. It was raining out, and the day was kind of annoying weather wise. Got umbrellas from the 7-11. We were going to go to a place near the Ginza, but I kind of forgot where it was. Stupid me didn’t mark it on the map. No matter, as near the end of the Ginza walk, we found a little place there which looked good. It was the first time we went anywhere that we had to take off our shoes. No big deal, there were lockers for that. We also put our umbrellas in the locker - Japan has a idea of - don’t make a mess inside. So there are two things for umbrellas: Umbrella storage, which you lock your umbrella in, and take a key, or if you’re keeping it with you, the umbrella is placed in a plastic wrapper to prevent water from getting all over the place. Smart, but the down side is increased plastic usage. I think they make up for this by recycling pretty much all the plastic bottles here.<br />
<br />
Anyway, after being led to our table / area, the woman in the Kimono asked “can you read Japanese?” We said no, and got the “English” menu…After trying to understand what I was reading for 10 minutes, I realized there were 5 languages aside from Japanese for each item. Then Leon and I found what we wanted, and it was good! I ate pretty much everything on my plate - I had sushi with Udon noodles / soup. There was Salmon, Tuna, Tomago (egg), Squid, and Eel. I didn’t care for the texture of squid too much - too chewy, but the eel was better then expected.<br />
<br />
Everything we’ve eaten so far in Japan has been very good, and this was no exception. We had some Sake with lunch. Then we both had desert, and were very satisfied. It was about 2950 Yen, which was pretty good for what we got.<br />
<br />
We then went to Harajuku to look around a bit. This is where the “hip” Japanese go…people selling stuff everywhere, lots of people, though not as much as the Ginza, and decidedly down-market from that area.<br />
<br />
Then we went back to the hotel. We had dinner at this local grill, Tsumabe?, which was a western style grill - hamburger steak, sausage, etc. We both had hamburger steaks - Leon had his wrapped in bacon, I had mine Japanese style with Soy sauce. Sorry, no pictures, we were hungry. <img src="/img/emoticons/smile.png" alt=":-)" class="emoticon" /><br />
<br />
Time for bed. Not sure what we’re going to do tomorrow, most items are closed on Mondays.<br />
<br />
Money: 22000 Yen. <br />
<br />
Leica: Nothing to note. Outdoor pictures came out well. Lens is very contrasty - light sources make everything too bright in indoor shots, instead of illuminating the subject.</p>Couldn’t really decide what to do today, so just decided to get some good food. It was raining out, and the day was kind of annoying weather wise. Got umbrellas from the 7-11. We were going to go to a place near the Ginza, but I kind of forgot where it was. Stupid me didn’t mark it on the map. No matter, as near the end of the Ginza walk, we found a little place there which looked good. It was the first time we went anywhere that we had to take off our shoes. No big deal, there were lockers for that. We also put our umbrellas in the locker - Japan has a idea of - don’t make a mess inside. So there are two things for umbrellas: Umbrella storage, which you lock your umbrella in, and take a key, or if you’re keeping it with you, the umbrella is placed in a plastic wrapper to prevent water from getting all over the place. Smart, but the down side is increased plastic usage. I think they make up for this by recycling pretty much all the plastic bottles here. Anyway, after being led to our table / area, the woman in the Kimono asked “can you read Japanese?” We said no, and got the “English” menu…After trying to understand what I was reading for 10 minutes, I realized there were 5 languages aside from Japanese for each item. Then Leon and I found what we wanted, and it was good! I ate pretty much everything on my plate - I had sushi with Udon noodles / soup. There was Salmon, Tuna, Tomago (egg), Squid, and Eel. I didn’t care for the texture of squid too much - too chewy, but the eel was better then expected. Everything we’ve eaten so far in Japan has been very good, and this was no exception. We had some Sake with lunch. Then we both had desert, and were very satisfied. It was about 2950 Yen, which was pretty good for what we got. We then went to Harajuku to look around a bit. This is where the “hip” Japanese go…people selling stuff everywhere, lots of people, though not as much as the Ginza, and decidedly down-market from that area. Then we went back to the hotel. We had dinner at this local grill, Tsumabe?, which was a western style grill - hamburger steak, sausage, etc. We both had hamburger steaks - Leon had his wrapped in bacon, I had mine Japanese style with Soy sauce. Sorry, no pictures, we were hungry. Time for bed. Not sure what we’re going to do tomorrow, most items are closed on Mondays. Money: 22000 Yen. Leica: Nothing to note. Outdoor pictures came out well. Lens is very contrasty - light sources make everything too bright in indoor shots, instead of illuminating the subject.Japan Day 3 - May 222010-05-22T09:44:00-05:002010-05-22T09:44:00-05:00https://drobnak.com/travel/2010/05/22/Japan-Day-3-May-22<p>We got up around 8 AM. Had an incredibly late start at about 1 PM. It’s hard to map out where you’re going sometimes. We decided to go to the Imperial Palace and other things around Central Tokyo again.<br />
<br />
We ended up going to the east garden, not the palace proper, as it’s closed to the public anyway for all but 2 days of the year.<br />
<br />
The garden was very nice, though after a while was all the same. It was nice to stroll around in, but after 25 minutes of walking, there wasn’t much else to do. <br />
<br />
We then decided to go over to Roppongi. So we got on the JR to Daimon, and got off to transfer - where Leon saw the Pokemon Center..So we went there. It’s kinda huge in Japan. After looking around in the store, we got on the subway, and went to Roppongi. We went to Roppongi Hills, becuase that’s pretty much all there is to do here unles you’re looking to get drunk and attempt to make it with Japanese women. Needeless to say, we were not the intednded audeince. So we had a great Tonkatsu dinner at some place in the hills. Afterwards had coffee at Tulley’s Coffe, then went back to hotel.<br />
<br />
The Leica: Still terrible in the dark. Used the canon at garden too.</p>We got up around 8 AM. Had an incredibly late start at about 1 PM. It’s hard to map out where you’re going sometimes. We decided to go to the Imperial Palace and other things around Central Tokyo again. We ended up going to the east garden, not the palace proper, as it’s closed to the public anyway for all but 2 days of the year. The garden was very nice, though after a while was all the same. It was nice to stroll around in, but after 25 minutes of walking, there wasn’t much else to do. We then decided to go over to Roppongi. So we got on the JR to Daimon, and got off to transfer - where Leon saw the Pokemon Center..So we went there. It’s kinda huge in Japan. After looking around in the store, we got on the subway, and went to Roppongi. We went to Roppongi Hills, becuase that’s pretty much all there is to do here unles you’re looking to get drunk and attempt to make it with Japanese women. Needeless to say, we were not the intednded audeince. So we had a great Tonkatsu dinner at some place in the hills. Afterwards had coffee at Tulley’s Coffe, then went back to hotel. The Leica: Still terrible in the dark. Used the canon at garden too.