Japan Trip '98
Written and Typed by:

Andy McAllister
andymcallister@usa.net

May 29th 1998, a Friday

Japan.  It took 23 hours and man, I need a shower.  We arrived in Narita and met our tour guide and in-class Japanese guy, Tanaka-San.  It ends up, his trip took only 14 hours.  We know where the money is.  We started into customs at the airport, no problems there.  They asked Larry if he'd like to "declare anything," which was amusing.  Even funnier, they asked Ryan if he had porno.  I didn't think Ryan looked that greasy!  I was not asked to open my bag, so I took that as a compliment.
	Our first real challenge was exchanging money to yen.  The forms were difficult to understand, as the translations to English were pretty inaccurate.  For example, "Last Name" is "Family Name" and "First Name" is "Given Name" which makes sense, but is something you must get used to.  From there, we went to get our Japan Railway (JR) train tickets and a ticket to go via "Airport Limousine" to our hotel, the Asia Center of Japan.  As it ends up, the "Limo" was 30 bucks, and was actually a basic passenger bus.  By this time, I am feeling the full force of jet lag.  I attempted to stay conscious to take in our trip on elevated highways as we squeezed between sedans and "pimped-out" Japanese minivans.  I slowly drifted to sleep.

May 30th 1998, a Saturday

	Upon my awaking, we were stopped to find tall buildings all around.  Every square meter (when in Rome...) was crammed with nicely trimmed bushes or vehicles.  I found out later that there is 13,000,000 (13 million) people in the Tokyo area, so I can understand why everything has to be so packed in.  We then took a taxi to the Asia Center.  The trip cost 980´, of which we split.  To get an idea of how expensive it was, the exchange was 136´ for $1.00 making the taxi trip roughly $7.20.  The Toyota "Crown" careened through narrow streets, the left side of the streets actually.
	Settling down in our room, 207, I found the two beds to be short and hard, but much better than the floor.  Japanese take their showers at night so I conformed and took my shower.  Our room was small, 3 x 3 meters square, but the bathroom was even worse.  It is difficult to turn around, even.  I was, however, amused at the toilet that had two different ways to flush.  The handle was marked with the Kanji for "big" and "small."
	With my shower out of the way, Sensei took us to a restaurant Tanaka recommended, supposedly because of the wide selection of foods.  We all stared blankly at the all-Japanese menu trying to reach in our minds to figure out what we wanted to munch on.  I deciphered out spaghetti, and decided upon that.  Soon the meals came, and I noticed many tiny round objects on the noodles, but I dug in.  After finishing a good three fourths of the plate, I decided to ask what the red round things were.  Heh, fish eggs.  I choked the rest down.

May 31st 1998, a Sunday

The next morning, I awoke around 4:00 AM because of the notorious jet lag.  I did manage to sleep longer, at least until 8:00 AM when we had to leave to go touring with Tanaka and his Mom.  
	It was beautiful outside.  Warm breezes and dry air felt great when compared with the weather in Omaha.  Our touring started with our first experience on a rail system.  We went seemingly all over town, first to a wooded Shinto (?) park where we gave a small donation and prayed for prosperity, and then to many tall building's observation decks to view Japan from above.  The panoramas were mind boggling as the city spread solid all before you until one could see no further.  Tanaka's mother said we had great luck because there was hardly any smog.  Tanaka-San's Mom was very nice, and reminded me of my Mom.  I couldn't really tell, but I think she set up all of the touring for the day and Tanaka-San was just here for the fun of it.
	The Tokyo rail system generally covers the entire city, but for short means of travel, the subway is the way to go.  At 2:00 PM we arrived in the Tokyo Bay area where we ate lunch at McDonald's.  I was amazed at how many people knew English, and it made things easier.  I ordered a Teriyaki McBurger and it was great.  This is when Sensei left with Tanaka's Mom to go see his in-laws (his wife is Japanese).  We then left for a boat ride down a river with many bridges.  At a certain time of year, each bridge competes to have the best fireworks display.
	Our next stop was the marketplace.  It was packed with people.  From the best I could discern, it seemed that a Buddhist Temple was somehow integrated into the shopping portion of the area.  This would be like a church where JC Penny's is in the mall.  I pretty much hung with Larry and Ryan the entire time.  We never purchased anything except drinks, yet we still managed to have a great time.
	Five o'clock rolled around and everyone returned back to the hotel (via a packed subway).  It is Sunday night, but we all left to wander the neighborhood for something to do.  James and I went to Denny's and an AmPm store (convenient store).  We ordered, not very successfully, a chicken sandwich at the Denny's and reflected upon the trip so far.
	After a while, James got his chicken but I did not get mine.  Suddenly it hit me.  The waitress had asked me "1?" and I said "yes".  We only ordered one meal.  James ended up splitting it with me and we went home.  I need to get some sleep.  It is 10:00 already.  Hmm, I still have yet to call home.
	Tomorrow I will for sure.  My phone card, for some reason, did not work so I have been reluctant to spend money on a new one from here.
	So far, the experience has been wonderful.  It is just like one huge Japanese class to me, and it kinda makes me want to get to know a lot more Japanese to be able to get around more easily.  I am going to try to get a more objective view of Japanese culture, but so far, I have noticed that although everyone here is a conformist, the country itself, is quite liberal.  Fads spread like wild fire (the Tomogotchi, for example) and everything is new or high tech.  The cars are inspected every two years with very tough standards so one will ever see a junker car anywhere.  Even the people are all hip with new styles in both clothing and hairstyles [on the last day I even saw an old woman, probably 75, with purple hair!].  This is one point in my mind that the U.S. needs to work on.  Everyone feels they have to go against the flow, when it seems that Japan is totally the opposite.  Bottom line is, Japan has their aspirations in a different place from the US, and they seem illogical as to their lax in some laws and fierceness in upholding others.  Ryan said it best:  "Japan has things to learn from the U.S. and the U.S. has a lot to learn from Japan."

June 1st 1998, a Monday

	6:00 AM  I started my day with a cramped but refreshing shower.  Sensei called and we decided to have a bite for breakfast at the Asia Center's restaurant.  Good ole' Western Meal D, is what I had, consisting of ham, toast, and an egg with coffee.  We then waited for Sophie and Sara to get ready (I am noticing a trend by now...) and went by subway to the Imperial Palace.  The Palace Gardens were closed today, so we ended up at a shopping arcade (which is a mall, not a video arcade).  I attempted a call home to no avail and left for Ginza, one of the biggest shopping places (and the most expensive) in Tokyo.  At a Warner Brothers store we went to, a guy from the U.S. was working there.  I did not buy any souvenirs yet, except for a Pepsi can.  I will wait until Kyoto to buy my souvenirs because I'd hate to find something later that I liked.
	From Ginza, we went back to the hotel to close up.  I began to truly feel apprehension of our host family stay.  Would I get lost?  The group entered the station to find we could not read our tickets.  Were we supposed to be in car nine seat two or car two seat nine?  Hauling everything we own, we stumbled toward car two, the farther of the two.  The train would leave soon, so we all broke into an all out sprint.  Sweating, we arrived at car two to find that car nine was ours.  Back to the other end of the train we went, our time running down.  Then the conductor in car nine said that car two was our car!!  By now the train doors had closed with us in the wrong car, so we struggled to stand and walk through the train to our seats.  What a fiasco!
	The train, a limited express line, took us from Tokyo to Matsumoto, a one hour and forty-five minute ride by and through tall mountains and small rural cities.  I did get a few pictures, but my attention was mostly directed to beating our own Tetris prodigy, Sophie, on the Gameboy.
	In Matsumoto, we deboarded to meet Shelby Sack, an English teacher from Omaha, who taught here in Japan.  Promptly, I was met by a man, my host family father, Mr. Yuji Sugiyama.  I first introduced myself in Japanese, but found Mr. Sugiyama spoke impeccable English.  Later I found out he was head of the English Department at Matsumoto's best school.  All of my fears were gone, as he was very friendly in his car en route to his residence.
	After forty minutes by car, we arrived at his home.  The house had only been lived in for two months!  I got the grand tour to find that his house and family were quite westernized in the style of the house and formality of their conversation.  For example, Tanaka told us to never go into the diadokuro, or kitchen.  Upon my asking Mr. Sugiyama, he laughed and told me I could do everything I do at my home.
	Even the toilets in his house were the ones I am used to, not a hole in the floor like traditional Japanese homes.  I ate dinner, pork with white rice and many vegetables, and proceeded to take a bath.
	The ofuro, or bath, consists of cleansing and then soaking.  First, you stand in a 6' by 6' waterproof room in which you "hose down" and soap up.  The fun part is soaking in the bathtub.  At 43(C (about 110(F) the cycling water from a jet relaxes every muscle in one's body.  I have come to look forward to the bath, and see it as being far superior to the American "shower and go" in the morning (the bath is at night).

June 2nd 1998, a Tuesday

	The first day of our homestay, Tuesday, the class met at a commercial high school, Hotaka High School.  I, in my Dockers and my polo, found out that it was field day today.  DOH!  I ended up playing softball and "kickbase" all day in my nice clothes. :)
	School starts with a stretching ritual which I believe we disturbed.  The reaction to our simple presence was unbelievable.  Another pleasant surprise, the school was two thirds female!!  Even though some were my age or older, it seemed they were only 10 or 11 years old.  Again, everyone was friendly, and let us Americans play any game, whenever we wanted.
	The girls could not get enough of Larry, and I am sure it was the same the other way around.  Larry and I played "Kickbase", or kickball.  Even when we had bad kicks or when we dropped the ball, the fellow members said, "Nisu!" or "nice" sincerely.  They do not see many foreigners there, I guess.
	Meanwhile, Mr. C. brought his softball team to victory over the entire school with an exciting last game.  I have to document the home run sensei hit, which he smashed far beyond the reach of any of the outfielders.  Kudos to you, Mr. C!
	Mrs. Sugiyama picked me up at 4:00 and we traveled home.  We talked of life in America ( school, college, girlfriends.  We came home and ate dinner, which tonight was fried rice and shamishami.  Water, on a portable gas stove, was boiling, and beef or pork was put in as we ate.  Since they were thin slices, they cooked quickly.  Although everything was so tasty (even an eggplant I had) I could not shove down enough to clean my plate.  In Japan, for example, when people interact with others, they act as though they are not hungry or tired, when in all truth, they are starving and dead tired.  This part of the Japanese culture, Endo Suru, is shunned in Sugiyama's house.  Even knowing so, I think they think I do not eat enough, though I have truly stuffed myself.
	That night I stayed up late learning of Manga [comic books] from Gaku, the son, and doing several origami figures.  In America, comic books are about fifteen pages, and they are monthly.  In Japan the Manga is one inch thick and weekly!  Over 6 million comic books are sold weekly in Japan.  I was given one book by Gaku, but I will also get other comics later in the trip for souvenirs.

June 3rd 1998, a Wednesday

	Somewhere, on my way to the station this morning, I realized I had forgot my JR rail pass at the house!  Sugiyama said, to show an example of his extreme kindness, "People, in order to be people, forget things.  I will pay for you."  When a Japanese person says they will pay, they mean it.  Even Sensei could not persuade the man to let me pay.  I will slip the money, 2,220´, under my pillow when I leave.  Sugiyama-San not only paid, he got his own 100´ ticket [to get inside the station] to be sure that Mr. C and myself made it on the proper train.
	The train ride was uneventful.  Again, all of my fellow students boarded the train as decided the night before.  I was not feeling well at this point of the trip.  A sore throat and running nose kept me somewhat out of it today.
	Kamishiro Aki, our stopping point, arrived quickly and we "de-trained."  Dave's host family was meeting us.  They owned an Inn (Japanese-Style) near the location of the Nagano Olympic Game's Snow Skiing Jump.
	The family, the Nakumura's, took us by bus to a Sobah, noodle, making place.  We made and ate these and traveled to the ski jump soon after.  
	The massive slope could be seen from many kilometers away.  In the summertime, the jump is outfitted with a plastic mat, which allows skiiers to practice without snow.  Upon arrival at the base of the hill, a man with a TV crew and everything, caused quite a commotion.  It ends up that he was Happy Horada, the Japanese skiier that dominated the Olympics and smashed the previous world record for long jumping in skiis.
	Riding a lift to the tower, we got a beautiful view of the entire Nagano Prefracture.  Clouds hung heavily over the mountains, hiding their true height.  Though Japan is a very small country, I still cannot get over the beauty and diversity the country proudly shows.
	Again we piled into the bus (large vans) and traveled to the family's inn.  I quickly found a futon and fell asleep.  
	I woke up at 2:30 and again played Tetris (vs. mode) with Ryan.  It is a good way to get your mind off of any stress.  Soon, though, we left and took one hour and thirty minutes to go back to Matsumoto Aki.  Unknowingly, Mr. C had taken a wrong train, and I arrived at 7:00 to find that Mr. Sugiyama had been waiting for an hour.  I felt bad that he had been waiting a long time, but he did not seem to mind too much.
	We again arrived at home and ate.  Tonight, the menu was Sashimi and Mizu Soup.  In case you are unfamiliar with Sashimi, it is raw fish!!!  Even though I do not like fish, even though I was sick, I tried (and liked) the fish.  After this, Yuji insisted I go to bed to help my cold.  So, I took a bath (yes!!) and went to my room to write to you, my journal.  
	It is way past my bedtime, so Sayonara for now!

June 4th 1998, a Thursday

Today is Thursday, our day for Nagano, the city.  The group met at the Matsumoto Aki at 9:00 AM allowing me much time to sleep in.  Awaking, I found that I still had 15 minutes until I had to get up.  There I laid, and for some reason opera was on my radio.  Strangely, the night before, the same station was more like modern music.  I got up and surprised Sugiyama-San, for his son never gets up on time.  I began my revised Japanese morning routine.  By taking my shower at night, I have less to do in the morning.  First, I eat breakfast, which today was an egg with ham cooked in it.  Afterwards, I brush my teeth, and comb my hair and am ready to leave.  Again, the trip to the station was quick.  We did, however, almost get hit by some small utility truck.
	Everyone arrived on time to travel to Nagano, a one hour stretch.  Again, I made the ride slide with Gameboy :).
	Nagano is quite a large town at about one million people.  Quoting Sophie, the Olympics have changed this town forever.  Everywhere you look you see those drn snowlets.  The majority of our day was spent in vain as we never found the local Pizza Hut.  We did find the arcade where we spent much time.  One game, Virtuon, was dominated by Dave Nelson, but I spent my time at Time Crisis 2.  Also at the arcade was a hip hop game I was sure that James would be good at, but he only passed the first level.  Ha!
	The Zenkoji Temple was next on our list.  I got a few pictures with various oblisks, but I am still looking forward to the five story tall Buddah in Nara.
	Oh yes, I forgot about our trip to the Manga Store!  Every wall of this place was either stacked with manga novels or adorned with posters corresponding to the comics.  I am not a big manga fan so I saw nothing I wanted.  Alice, on the other hand, spent her life savings.  
	The train ride home was uneventful, aside for a mistake the conductor made.  I guess, people were left at a station and we had to go back.  Although this seems trivial to me, for the Japanese it is devestating to be late.
	Tonight, the host family took me bowling.  Unfortunately, the place was packed due to a tournament.  We decided instead to play billiards.  I was the only one that knew how to play, and 8-ball is not an easy-to-learn game!  Everything turned out well, but Gaku had a little trouble playing.  Eventually the tournament thinned out and we bowled.  I am not good at bowling, but still won the first game with a 105.  The rest of the games did not go so well.
	Right now I am attempting to find a good radio station to record.  Last night, this station, I believe Nagano 97.3 FM, was pretty kickin' but now it is just Elton John! NO!  Well, I will find something cool soon.
	Tomorrow will be a trip between two ancient cities on foot.  I like to hike, so surely, tomorrow will be fun.  What hasn't been fun?  Sayonara once again!

June 5th 1998, a Friday

	Our hike was great!  I enjoyed viewing the country by foot much more than flying through it on the trains.  Our group this day was quite a bit smaller, well it seemed so.  James decided to go to school to pick up some Japanese women and Ryan and Dave both went "shopping" in Matsumoto all day.
	This left Dave Nelson, Alice, Gina, Sara, Sophie, Mr. C, and myself to wander a footpath from the city of Magano to Tsumono, a total time of four hours.
	By taxi, we traveled to the trail head, and here, we were asked to get our picture taken with some retired citizen tour group.  I might be able to get my hands on a copy of the picture.  The first four kilometers or so was uphill, but soon, we traveled downward.  The scenery, of which I took many pictures, was beautiful.  In both cities, a strict building code is kept to make the cities appear as in ancient times.
	I'd like to interject here for a moment.  As I write, I am attempting to record songs off of the radio so I can listen in my car.  Anyone who complains about Omaha's radio stations has nothing to complain about.  Japanese radio, a Nagano station right now, plays one friggin' song every twenty mintues ( no joke, twenty minutes of commercial or weather or traffic everytime!  I will not be able to fill up a tape at this rate.  God NO!  GREASE!  Make it stop.... "...let's get into physical!..."
	Going downhill, we followed a stream.  There were two instances where it produced beautiful waterfalls along the train.  Truly, both were Kodak moments.
	Each town is quite touristy, as you can imagine, but en route, we saw no one else, which was a welcome change from the crowded trains and packed streets of Tokyo.  The trail was developed, yet rocky, much like one of my previous trip to Arkansas, but without the bugs.  Perhaps someday (college?) I will have to get a group to Japan to backpack northern Japan, a less populated area.
	Many times, for conversation, I asked if the other person could live in Japan.  I know Sophie is worried about the regimen, because everything is too formal and prompt.  I know Larry would miss the cars and the steaks.  But me, I don't see living here a possibility as of now.  No matter how much I study, no matter how perfect my etiquette would become, I would always be a foreigner.  For one, I am one foot taller than most of the Japanese people.
	On the other hand, if business in America brought me here for a period of time, I could dig that. 
	On the ride home, I spied a huge Pepsi can, and you can imagine my reaction.  The train left before I was able to buy it, so now I am initiating a dire search for more "Big @$$ cans."  Wish me luck!  [Note:  I never did find the big Pepsi cans.  :(  Coke is quite big in Japan, and they had 500 ml cans, but to buy one of those and carry it home would be sacrilegious. :)  Oh well, I guess this is another excuse to go back!]
	The train arrived in Matsumoto station at 4:59, on time of course, and Mrs. Sugiyama brought me home.
	At dinner, I gave out my gifts and thanked the family for my warm and accomodating stay with them.  My apprehensions were high as to this portion of my stay in Japan, but they crashed down this fear and instead, turned it around to be the best days and nights so far.
	This evening, Friday, I karaoke'd with the family, and one of Gaku's friends.  I am a car singer, and only a car singer, but I actually enjoyed myself.  Everyone always complains that Omaha is too boring, but perhaps a Karaoke Bar would be fun!
	As I write tonight, I have found the radio to be much better.  I caught a top 20 countdown, so how can I go wrong?  Ofuro time.  Cya!

June 6th 1998, a Saturday

	Today was the day to spend with the family.  The first activity was visiting school.  Because Sugiyama is an English teacher, we visited his class.  A student teacher was there, so he observes her all this week and next week.
	As for the class, I was quite impressed as to the difficulty of the poetry and prose they read.  Keep in mind, this is only a second year English Class.  Sugiyama, I think, has spent too much time in English class in America...he actually fell asleep!  In his own class!
	After class, we went to the Matsumoto Castle, and museum.  The castle was beautiful.  400 years old, the castle is still standing using original, completely hand carved timbers.  Inside the castle, it was interesting as to the defenses against attack.  Even the staircases were about 56( up to slow enemy samuris.  It was difficult for me to ascend the six stories of stairs even without the forty pounds of armor and swords.
	The museum held a model of the city in ancient times, as well as pictures of all the birds that could be found in the Nagano Prefracture.  I know my mom would have liked that.
	Lunch, and a trip to the IMAX followed.  It was a one hour drive, but worth it as the movie was excellent.  The video was actually about the area, and showed breathtaking panoramas of the mountains in each of the four seasons.  Also, the movie showed a festival where a large float is made of straw and a group of attackers try to burn it down.  Defenders, however, try to fend off the fires for as long as they can.
	Nerd's Comment:  The Karaoke Machine works via phone line, and the songs can be kept up to date through a server this way.
	Next, we traveled to a horseradish farm.  Most people think, "Yes! COOL!" at least I did!  Actually, it was not that bad.  I tasted many of the foods, and ... er ... drinks made from this vegetable.  This is a special farm, because one needs cold water that is clean to grow horseradish.  I even had ice cream with horseradish flavoring.
	Dinner was again great.  Today it was tofu, beef, rice, and various vegetables along with mizu soup.  The eveing was spent defeating Gaku in his Super Famicom games.
	It does not look like I will finish my audio tape of the Nagano stations.  Too much talking!!
	Tomorrow will be our trip to Kyoto, we leave at 2:00 PM.  I am not sure what we are doing, the Sugiyama's and I, but it will be hard to leave, as they have been fun.

June 7th 1998, a Sunday
	
	Sunday morning I awoke late, 9:00 AM.  Nothing was planned, so I talked with Mrs. Sugiyama, and exchanged addresses.  I also had time to pack up and beat Street Fighter 2 on the Super Famicom.  Too soon it came time to leave, so we rode off to the station.  Gaku gave me a CD set that is really cool, a "B'z" album [which I have on MP3 if anyone wants a copy of it.. just ask me].  I will have to ship a CD over here for him to listen to.
	We got group pictures at the station, said our goodbyes, and headed off for Kyoto, the ancient capitol.
	Unfortunately, the Shinkansen did not match my expectations.  First, the car we got on didn't have any open seats by the time I was situated.  Second, it wasn't as fast as I had hoped.  Still, I'd like to put in, "Why bother with Disneyland when you have Japan's public transportation system?"
	From the station, we traveled by bus to our own roach hotel, also known as the Utan Youth Hostel.  We will spend a total of four nights here [it ended up being three, the fourth was back at the Asia Center of Japan], and then one night in Narita at a Holiday Inn.  Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for a swimming pool.
	For dinner, we went to the Big Boy.  I finally got a decent steak, along with a vanilla and coke float.  For some reason, there was ice in it as well, which made the float difficult to eat.  The Big Boy was about fifteen to twenty minutes on foot from our Hostel.  It was a challenge avoiding cars and busses due to the lack of a sidewalk, and I'm still surprised Alice made it.  She has this urge to wander in front of cars for some reason :).
	At tonight's meeting, it was decided that Monday, we would all rent bikes and do Kyoto.  This way, we would have a little more fun, and could see more.

June 8th 1998, a Monday

	Bikes Suck!  Again, the lack of sidewalks made pedestrian navigation difficult.  What money we didn't spend on the bus was made up for in drinks.  I am still amazed no one wiped out and went unconscious or got hit by a car.
	During the morning hours, the weather was beautiful.  We first cycled to the Kinkaku-Ji Temple, a pagoda entirely plated in gold.  Someone in Matsumoto recommended this temple to me because, when Marco Polo first visited Japan, he observed this and assumed Japan must be a rich nation.  Truly the temple was beautiful, and its well manicured gardens impressed me.
	On the way to the Nijo Castly, Kyoto's Imperial Castly, we stopped at a Zen Buddhist Temple.  Eh, it had a rock garden or two.
	The castle, however, was very interesting.  In the times when ninjas assassinated Emperors 365 years ago, this castle was built.  The floorboards squeak, so anyone approaching could be heard, and dealt with.  The castle, like the temple from earlier, was surrounded by steep walls, a moat, and beautiful gardens.  Atop one vantage point, the roofs of the castle could be seen along with a backdrop of large commercial buildings and a mess of power lines.  As Mr. C said, "In Japan, things aren't spread out like in Omaha.  In your neighborhood, you might have a store, a shrine, and a cabaret all within a five minute walk."
	The afternoon was filled with shopping.  I have begun my gift shopping.  I think I will have no problem finding everything I need.
	For dinner we finally found a pizza place.  Shakey's (not to be confused with ShakERS:)) Pizza was a welcome change to a week of pure Japanese food.
	After dinner we checked out the Pachinko Parlor.  Smokey and noisy, the greedy machines sucked down our money.  Check that, my parent's money :).  Actually, I only blew 1,500´, so I wasn't hurt too bad.  I would much rather gamble with Blackjack, as I feel I have more control of when my money goes.
	The bike ride home was long but easy.  It had began to sprinkle a bit, encouraging us to push on before more rain fell.
	Upon arriving back at our Hostel, Ofuro's were on everyone's agenda.  After, I listened to a CD I bought (2,500´) called Yu-Ra at the shopping place today.  It has a kind of ambient style to it.  Nice for my car (Oh!  I miss my car!).  Until tomorrow, Mr. Journal!

June 9th 1998, a Tuesday

	Greetings!  Today, our stay in Hiroshima was a bit depressing.  I didn't even think before arriving that we would bear witness to a town that was the target of the first offensive atom bomb attack in the history of man.  The Shinkansen took about forty-five minutes to reach Hiroshima from Kyoto, where we are staying.  From the station, we traveled via streetcar to the Peace Park, the location where, on August 15, 1945, 600 meters above, Big Boy (Ironic, the same as the restaurant) detonated, killing 200,000 people immediately.  I could not help but feel guilty, but I was reminded, the alternative was to rush the island instead, which was estimated to be 2.5 million deaths.  War has no good alternatives, it seems.
	To compound the sensation was rain.  All day, most of us were drenched.  Umbrella?  Oh yeah, forgot about one of those... :)
	Several memorials are set up where literally hundreds of thousands of paper cranes were laid out by classes visiting the Peace Park.
	I found the Museum even more depressing.  As Sophie and I traveled through, articles were on display depicting the destruction.  One, a chunk of sidewalk, was charred on the sides but was white in the middle where some unknowing civillian was hit by the initial fireball.
	I can do nothing but hope that the dˇtente we are in now will last.  Sophie pointed out one display with a list of times atomic weapon useage was contemplated.  In particular, the Korean War.  Her mom is Korean.
	Next on this day's agenda, was a boat ride across a small span of the Japan Sea to a small island.  Still raining, we visited a Shinto Gate, or rather viewed it (it was a ways out in a bay).  Unfortunately, by this time I realized my camera was gone.  In the museum, I had set it down to sign a guestbook.  By this time the park had closed and we would have to wait until the next day to try to recover the camera.  Mr. C guaranteed me that I would get it back.
	It ends up the Kyoto station is also three hotels, a shopping mall, and a Sega World, among many other things.  I chose Subway for my dinner, and ate on the way home.  The debate was "Who is Wierdest?" among the guys.  It began as Larry #1, Ryan #2, me #3, and Dave #4.  Suddenly, we stumbled upon the topic of movies and Ryan ended up tying Larry for first place.  Ham knows every actor from every movie and gave us all plot reviews.  I was amazed.  Now if he would just apply that memory to school :).
	The rest of the night was spent trying to get my dang phone card to work and playing various card games with Sara, Gina, Sophie, Alice (HELLOOoo Kitty?), and Mr. C.

June 10th 1998, a Wednesday

	Nara was today's destination.  Leaving on time this morning was a pleasant change as we actually had time to eat breakfast.  Belgian Waffles and a cappuccino (ew!  American coffee is much better!  Even on the plane the coffee was horrible) is what I ended up getting.
	Soon, our train left and we were on our way.  For some reason, I dominated over our prodigy today in Tetris.  I was in my "zone" I guess.  :)
	In Nara, we were met by one of Tanka-San's friends who was going to give us the grand tour of Nara.
	First and foremost, we traveled to see a huge Buddah.  Aside from being insanely massive, this guy was encased along with four or five other massive statues in one gigantic building (which burned down three times so far, by the way).  Larry lent me a disposable camera to use for the rest of the trip in case my camera was not found.  Thanks man! 
	Of course, there is a happy ending to the lost camera story.  The guy guiding us, Yagi-San, had us over for lunch, and there he contacted the Peace Park and arranged for my camera to be delivered to the Holiday Inn, where we are staying on Saturday night.  I am still amazed my camera was found.  I still don't have it in my hands, but I am banking on Mr. C's guarantee.
	After lunch, one of Yagi-San's friends took us to the Sharp Factory where we got a tour of historical electronics advances as well as a view into the new technologies such as LCD displays and wireless communication.
	The train ride back to Kyoto was uneventful.  More Tetris, and we decided to split up.  Larry, Dave, Ryan, and James went back to the hotel and the rest of us went to Sega World (Joypolis to the Japanese) and shopping afterwards.  At Joypolis, Alice blew 2,200´ on a stuffed animal (one of those crane machines...) and I blew easilly 3,000´ on Jurassic Park, VirtuaCop2, and other games.  I don't really feel bad as I had a wonderful time.  Looking back, today was one of my better days.
	As a challenge, Mr. C had us find our way home.  Again, it was raining so the subway was the preferred mode of travel.  Sara and Sophie took leadership, reading maps and finding what subway to take, but I didn't need a map :).  I seem to have a nose for some of these things.  Don't believe me?  Ask Alice!  It was fun again, stepping out of our comfort zones, to see how independent we could be.
	We made it home without a hitch (okay, I'd have gotten lost w/o a map... still :)) to find the hostel room covered in toilet paper.  Hmm, a toga party seems to have taken place in our room.  I'm not cleaning it up!
	Thursday, tomorrow, we will all go to Tokyo and stay in the Asia Center of Japan again.  It sounds as though the zoo is on our agenda, but more on that later!

June 11th 1998, a Thursday

	Today, a two hour train ride took us from Kyoto to Tokyo, as planned.  Again, Mrs. Tanaka met us, but instead of taking us around, she and Mr. C took all the luggage to the hotel from the station so we had time to go to the Ueno Zoo.  That meant that we would have to figure out the Tokyo Subway system ourselves.
	Of course, with Sara and Sophie as our leaders, we got there :).  Had I any doubts?  The zoo ended up to be quite small (compared to our Henry Doorly Zoo), but I still liked it.  The tigers were the main attraction, two cubs and one mother.
	The zookeepers began to close down the zoo at 3:15, only forty-five minutes after we had gotten there.  It was funny seeing the zookeepers try to get two hippos out of their water and into another cage.  Hippos can stay underwater without air for a long time, so this made the job even more difficult.  When the 'keeper wasn't watching, one would pop up for air and sink back down.  Eventually, a crowd of people had gathered to see the hippos get out, and found the game of hide and seek funny.
	For dinner, the Tanakas, Mr. & Mrs., were taking us out.  We met at the hotel and proceeded to the restaurant, a steakhouse where we cooked our own meat.  Like a grocery store, we chose from thin, cut meat that was in a fridge.  We took the raw meat back to our table where, on a one-foot diameter gas grill, we cooked the meat.  It was buffet style, so I shoved in as much food as I could.  Originally, we were to go to Hard Rock Cafˇ, Tokyo, tonight, but everyone was too full for anything more, including dessert.
	Instead, we went to the Tanaka's house, only a short walk from the steakhouse.  There, we watched a video that had been made and we signed guest books.  James and Mrs. Tanaka even played some piano for us.  Their two dogs were a lot of fun too, as they enjoyed all of our attention.
	Too soon, it got late and we went home.  Everyone fit in their Mercedes and their Volvo (which had the steering wheel on the left, not the standard as in America).
	Believe it or not, a skiing trip was planned for the next day, so upon our return to the Asia Center, I showered and went to sleep.


June 12th 1998, a Friday

	Waking at 6:00, I was a full thirty minutes early meeting the rest of the skiers in the lobby.  You know, when I was putting in my wake up call, it was easier to push "0600" than "0630".  :)  Darn automated wake up call systems...
	Dave Nelson was on time, 7:00, but Sophie and Sara were late again.  Remember that pattern that I pointed out earlier on?  Regardless, we all got to the subway to go skiing... indoors!
	The slope was 80 meters at its highest point, so pictures were difficult.  Only the brochures had decent pictures.
	Our group of five waited in line until about 10:00 when they opened.  In all, the day cost me about 7,000´ including rental and lift pass but it was worth every penny, ..er yen piece.  The group all rented "costumes" (a la Mrs. Tanaka's English :).  Translations are funny sometimes) including the coat, long johns, and gloves as well as skis.  Passing through a revolving door, the air turned to below freezing, which I am still amazed at.  Sure enough, the skiing conditions were great, though I wish I had brought a hat.
	I soon remembered how to ski and did the red hill, the most difficult, with Mr. C (who was at my skiing level).  Sara had skied twice before in her life, and Dave had skied twice, also, I think, with me at Mt. Crescent three years ago.
	I was surprised, because by the end of the day everyone was doing great.  Dave hurt himself on a fall, but other than that and sore muscles, we had no injuries.  Even Sophie who had never touched skis hit the yellow, intermediate slope without falling and Sara even did the red slope!  Bravo!
	In the huge complex, there were three "different" slopes.  I will have to scan a copy of the brochure to illustrate.  All in all, I had a great day, I think the best day overall.
	We elected to stay extra time at the hill... I mean we got on the wrong train... and arrived back at the hotel at 4:30 (Sorry 'bout that one Larry).  We had Hard Rock Cafˇ for dinner and afterwards boarded our train to Narita for our last night in Japan.  Three taxis were necessary to go to the Tokyo Station, and we spent about twenty minutes regrouping.  In one day, Tokyo Station funnels over three million people, so from sun up to sun down, "Kansas City" goes through the station.
	Needless to say, it was busy.
	Soon, though, we were on our way via the Narita Express.  The train was all reserve tickets (which we didn't have since we wanted to get to our hotel, a Holiday Inn, in a hurry to swim) so we sat on the floor.  By now, we were all used to it!! :)
	The hotel was wonderful.  The pool was closed, though.  We all ended up hanging out in Mr. C's room and watched Mr. Bean on TV.
	Everyone enjoyed the hotel, which must have cost Mr. C a fortune.  He said that he popped for it!  It was too bad we never got to go swimming.

June 13th 1998, a Saturday

	The next morning we watched McGyver and left for the airport.
	Over all my trips with the Boy Scouts and with Youth Groups, this trip was by far the most fun.  On the other trips, I was ready to go home, but I could easily have gone another two weeks in Japan.  It is not that I do not miss home, but Japan is just such a huge challenge for me.  There is so much to learn, so much fun is yet to be had.  I know I will return.  Soon.

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