Spanky in Japan...

Spanky_Ham

Porcinus Slappius
OK, basically decided over morning coffee to jump on internet and book a holiday… now in Japan on said holiday….

Flight out of Sydney to Cairns was boring, but only a few hours, the plane trip from Cairns to Osaka was too long… well, for us

Arrived In Osaka and made way to hostel, getting horribly lost on the way, being too tired, jumped onto wrong train!!! Realized we weren’t heading in right direct and jumped another train in correct direction. Initial thoughts were good… Got to hostel at 10.30 (they close at 10) but since we had called ahead (thank you mobile technology) they just taped the security code to the door… yeah, theft over here… no.

Got a beer from the vending machine, as you do… and hit the hay. First nights sleep was not good, one guy snored really loudly… hope he enjoyed breathing in spankys special belnd of fart gasses.

First day here, hired bike (red rocket) and shot around Osaka. Really went out of our way to `see` Osaka… so many pics of random stuff – felt good to ride too, very flat in osaka. Got lost again, and had to stop and ask for directions everyone very happy to help you. Realised we was on totally other side of Osaka thanwe wanted to be. Riding in Osaka was fun, everyone else is doing it… maybe not like me, but…just go wild... helmet less (yes, sorry helmet nazis) …. Got back to J-Hoppers Osaka OK though. Spent about 8 hours riding not continuously, GPS said we had done 35k in a few hours then quit on the pig, out of battery… glad we bought the cycling shorts and leggings… its very cold over here and chaffing wouild not be good.

Got back and then went to dinner with Justin (French) Sandra (South American) and Rahoul (Liverpool, Sydney) had a great night at the 299 yen restaurant… everything was 299 yen… very nice food – awesome salmon. Got back to hostel at about 1 am… had a few more vending machine beers…. Mmm, ashai

Today was a quick run down to Den Den Town in Osaka. Its their electronic district… just wandered round… aimlessly as we tend to do when traveling… want to see japan not be shown japan… more touristy stuff will happen.

Off to Hiroshima tomorrow for a day or two, then ???????


Osaka pics
http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i164/spanky_ham_aus/Japan Osaka/

off to have dinner... and probably get horribly lost again...

s

p.s. can someone tell me if they can see those pics?
 

Venciferus

Likes Dirt
Can you speak Japanese?


Subscribe* Looking at going to Japan sometime next year, trying to learn basic Japanese at the moment.
 

Spanky_Ham

Porcinus Slappius
Can you speak Japanese?
Subscribe* Looking at going to Japan sometime next year, trying to learn basic Japanese at the moment.
Can spanky speak anything other than foul mouth tourettes fueled crap... No...

No Japanese at all... not a struggle so far either...

Thanks TimD... and yes.... :tcant help loving smoky bacon!! and Ron Jeremy dressed as Mario!!! The randomness never stops



s
 

Breaka

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Can you speak Japanese?


Subscribe* Looking at going to Japan sometime next year, trying to learn basic Japanese at the moment.
Same Same.

I want to go there badly. Japan is insane. I love how every motorcycle or car oozes coolness.
 

stringbean

Likes Bikes and Dirt
google is your friend if your looking to actualy learn stuff, if you have a ipod/iphone theres heaps of apps you can get with phrases/words whatever. you dont need to no much to get around, most stuff is in english anyway but the people are friendly and the cops there are easy to find and pretty helpful.
 

Venciferus

Likes Dirt
I'll meet you over there Breaka. Get some mad JDM shit!


I know that it's not too hard to get around and stuff but it's just something I want to learn, I like to get the full experience of something and the whole culture (I hate that word), people and atmosphere of Japan is something that really interests me. The politeness of the people I think is interesting and I'd like to able to return that favour by speaking their language well, rather than butchering it.

Already got an iPhone app called HJ Lite and it is really awesome, pretty damn good if you want to learn Japanese, plus it's free!
 

Ivan

Eats Squid
Same Same.

I want to go there badly. Japan is insane. I love how every motorcycle or car oozes coolness.
The trucks over there are sweet, it's like all the drivers are having a competition to out-chrome each other. I also say a few trucks getting around with massive hot rod style gear levers. :cool:
 

wespelarno

Likes Dirt
Here is all the japanese you will ever need, spelled out phonetically;

Oshiri Ga Itai-ine-Which from memory means, my arse hurts. Go to a public bath and shout it as loud as you can.
 

atschool

Likes Bikes
Here is all the japanese you will ever need, spelled out phonetically;

Oshiri Ga Itai-ine-Which from memory means, my arse hurts. Go to a public bath and shout it as loud as you can.
Actually it would sound more like: "My buttocks hurts, right?" said in a very feminine way.

Phrasebooks are essentially useless when you're travelling for a short time and haven't studied the language at all. Sure, you may be able to ask for directions or something(with understandably bad pronounciation) but when a native speaker answers, you won't be able to understand them. In a country like Japan, most people can use basic English so language won't be much of a problem. Familiarising yourself with some of the customs, e.g. shoes off before going entering a home, don't talk on your mobile phone on the trains etc., will win you more respect from Japanese people than butchering the language and being a douchebag in onsens.
 

sawtell

The Great White Rooks Hunter
The trucks over there are sweet, it's like all the drivers are having a competition to out-chrome each other. I also say a few trucks getting around with massive hot rod style gear levers. :cool:

never forget the garbage truck i seen, full chrome, custom spray on panels was epic, took a few pics to bad mate lost his camera!


what you paying for 500ml ashai? anything over 350yen is a rip off!
 

sawtell

The Great White Rooks Hunter
$4...............

was about 4 30 when i was there.

i loved going to a new place, and checking out te machines, finding ones for 300yen would make my day!!!!

the 160yen 8 percent lemon lime and vodka 375ml cans from 7/11 where always good value, that and a naan dog, livin life cant wait to go back there next january.
 

Spanky_Ham

Porcinus Slappius
Japan this place rocks

Went out last night to get some food, ended up finding a TINY aussie pub in Osaka station and just had to go in... well, very small,really small bar.

.. which was to become the theme of the night. pig met a norwegian called Lund (loond) who was just bumming round too... so, off we went to hit up Dotombori gawa and arcade... caught a train most of the way there (bought ticket, went into wrong train line... walked up to help and they just refunded the money, no questions and thanked us to gaijins? WTF cityrail have a look at this amazing shit!)... then we bar hopped our way there.. solving the worlds problems on the way too...

Seen that great movie Bladerunner? Yeah.... just like that - without the replicants... or are they now just so good!



Went to a number of bars, that seriously there would be no dead cat swinging and only possibly dead gerbil swinging they were so small... there was no english at all, but it all seemed to work. Lund was happy to speak english and buy drinks... pig was happy to drink and chat... Oh, during a round with the bar man in one place (he was a bit drunk too?) we discussed drinking salutes... you know - cheers, salut.... chin chin - yeah about that last one... it means Penis in Japanese... so avoid that or the barman will look at you kinda funny



Had to rely on GPS to get home after a well wicked night out... but really worth it... even in the most seedy back alley (lund and the pig loved seediness it was discovered) there was never a threat.. scare... worry... nothing.




Took off from osaka station this morning (Guys before you go to japan, get yourselves a JR pass... you cant get them in Japan... they save you heaps) and raced through japan to Hiroshima... where we are now...



This afternoon was spent walking round the Hiroshima Bomb museum and peace park.. now, spanky is almost emotionless (replicant?) but this really rubbed just how seriously fucked up it was, repeatedly... and it was a very somber experience.... after dgoing through the museum, spanky slowly wandered back to every shrine and payed his porcine respects for a second time
...

war really does suck cock, nuclear bombs are f*cking horrible... truthfully, it has changed the pigs view on nukes - completely! in just three hours



more tomorrow.... probably.
 
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PINT of Stella. mate!

Many, many Scotches
$4.30 for half a litre of Asahi?

The other half ordered a pint of that tasteless piss in a suburban Melbourne pub last week.

$12 (and a bit)

So, Melbourne. Now officially more expensive than Tokyo!

:rolleyes:


Anyways have fun Spanky and but be careful and don't get caught up in any Godzilla/Mothra attacks!
 

John U

MTB Precision
Spanky, there is a really good cycling museum in Osaka if you can find it. I missed when i was there. They have one of the original Gary Fisher's amongst other things.

The Shimano world headquarters is also in Osaka, not sure if they have any tours. All their new shit is developed from there.

Also check out Noodle World in Namba Parks for some awesome Ramen and a wierd pig noise farmyard animal sound track.

And the food section of Takashimaya? Department store. They have some pretty amazing shit to eat. Everything you can think of.
 

stringbean

Likes Bikes and Dirt
was about 4 30 when i was there.

i loved going to a new place, and checking out te machines, finding ones for 300yen would make my day!!!!

the 160yen 8 percent lemon lime and vodka 375ml cans from 7/11 where always good value, that and a naan dog, livin life cant wait to go back there next january.
ohh naan dog, those things were magical, as was most things in a 7/11
 

sawtell

The Great White Rooks Hunter
ohh naan dog, those things were magical, as was most things in a 7/11
when i broke my collar bone over there, and had 4 days of nothing to do, i pretty much just lived in 7/11's!!! naan dog, or this gold container of noodles were literaly better then half the shit here i buy from restraunts..

dead set, you buy a dry pack 2 minute noodle style thing from 711 over there, and its 20003993939% better then most japanese restraunt dishes back in melbourne, and about 1 aussie dollar!


place is so cheap in regards to food and drink, we would go out for dinner with 7 of us, 2 courses, with drinks, in hakauba (snow fields), and it would be a MAX of 50 aud ALL UP...

sorry for ranting i just love japan!!





that all applys untill you eat the "weird hings" eg, puffer fish, was pretty close to 40 aud, for a slice the size off your pinky finger! raw horse, was about 15aud, for 3 slices the size of your thumb, i couldnt get any whale or dolphin, but i heard it was atleast 50aud for a 2cm by 5cm piece!

horse hormone was fairly cheap and quite tasty, you had that yet spanky?
 
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