Cultural fusion

Important to know

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, here is the single most useful piece of information: 小 – small 大 – big If you memorize nothing else, memorize these two symbols. There will come a time when you are desperately searching for a button to flush the toilet. When you see one of these guys,

One last good meal: Yakiniku at Jojoen

I went to the airport via Tokyo Station and finally got the chance to take Felicity up on her recommendation. Having only had a very light breakfast, I bought a mouth-watering but also stupidly expensive order of Yakiniku from Jojoen. I wrote down this recommendation from Felicity a while ago. Well she was right! It

すき焼き

I had a nice but terribly hot day in Kyoto yesterday. For dinner, I decided to splurge and finally get something good: Sukiyaki. It’s thinly sliced beef, cooked with some vegetables and such. The coolest part is, they cook it right in front of you, at your table. Japan really knows about service. The man

Unity is strength

My training in the capsule hotel is complete. I am now an effective member of Japanese society. Unity is strength. The breakfast was again adequate this morning. It met our nutritional needs. The surface in the sleeping capsule was hard, which encourages us to be strong. Softness is weakness. It was difficult to return the

Capsule hotel night 2

I wore the supplied pajamas today. Everyone wears them. Unity is strength. My designation is C208. I do not know why I ever needed a name. Names are for the Outsiders. The shower and bathing facilities were enjoyable. C208 is now clean. Cleanliness is honourable. It is very late. C208 is in the designated relaxation

Flexibility is key

Upon arriving in Osaka yesterday, we found a poster for a big festival, which spans today and tomorrow. In fact, it’s one of the top three in Japan! Well, having already seen some of the Gion Festival (also one of the top 3), we don’t want to miss this one either! Today was to be

A night at a capsule hotel

So we spent our first night at a capsule hotel. Definitely weird, awesome, and terrible all at once. After you surrender your shoes and check in, you get a locker, where you can put your stuff. Then you can go to your capsule and enjoy the various facilities, including a bathhouse and sauna. The capsule

Capsule hotel

It’s like a spaceship!

Onsen

Yesterday was the spa day. We went to the famous onsen in Matsuyama, apparently the most famous in Japan. It was nice and relaxing but it did not last as long as I would have hoped. Germany definitely has the better spa experience, from what I can see! We also checked out the castle there