Dog-on-a-tuckerbox

We have a few days left in Japan before flying to Germany. To round off our trip here we are taking the train to Hakone tomorrow to catch a glimpse (hopefully) of Fuji San.

Jess's boyfriend, Ben, returned from his work trip the other day and since then we have had much more of the local beer and seen some interesting nightscapes. Ben is fluent in English, Japanese and American.

Prior to Ben's return, Louise and I were using "pigeon-nippongo" to get by, which apart from being frightfully funny, is completely unhelpful. A request for a ticket from Yogi Bear station (Yoyogi) to Dog-on-a-tuckerbox (Takadabobaba) would be met with a long-winded, rehearsed and passionate account of Japan's imperial history, with particular emphasis on the nasty invading hordes, who they called "gaijin" and who they clearly did not care for much.

Apart from the ticket guy, everyone here has been incredibly friendly and considerate. I personally love this place, life here is so different to Australia - however - from what I have seen, Japanese people tend to spend much more of their time existing than living. There are so many places where it is not socially acceptable to talk (like trains, small retaurants or any confined spaces), and their culture and code of conduct seems so strict that quirky features have popped up (like all-age comic book reading, rebellious fashion, and popular fetishism).

Having said that, we are yet to meet a young Japanese person who is not cool. They all seem to spend so much money on their clothes and haircuts, it has put Louise and me to shame.

After I finish this blog, we are going to the world's largest fish market near Ginza. We have been warned to wear old shoes. The Tokyo Lonely Planet reports that some tuna fish fetch 2 million yen each (nearly 13 thousand AUD)! I will settle for just a slice at the local Sushi Train, thank you.

Until next time, please feel free to post your comments! Love to all.