Deanger ZONE

2010-04-04T07:20:00.001-07:00

小麦粉

road trip Japanese style

2009-08-25T02:46:00.001-07:00

I was pretty excited about this trip so I didnt sleep much last night. That didnt really matter with a 4:20am start I wouldnt have gotton much any way.
Why the early start？
I bought a ｀18 kippu｀for the low low price of 11500￥（115＄）which allows you to travel as far as you want in a day for 5 days and they dont have to be all together either. But doesnt explain the early start completely. The catch to the great deal is you have to use local trains and that can be time consuming.My coworker pay more then my 5 day ticket to go 1way to my main destination Shikoku. He took a bullet train for a 150＄ 3 hour journey while I had a 23＄ 12 hour adventure.
My first night was spent in a rather unknown city called Okayama.Its claim to fame is that its the birth place of the ｀peach boy｀fable a long loved childrens story about a boy born from a peach who later kills the demons tormenting the city with the help of a bird，dog and monkey. So as you can imagine peaches are popular but so is a little snack consisting of 3 rice cakes shaped into balls and put on a skewer and its quite delicious.
My next destination was Tokushima and quiet little corner of the world 51 weeks a year，but this was not 1 of those weeks. Its the biggest ｀bon｀dance festivals in Japan. Their moto is "The fool who watches and the fool who dances and both foolish，so why not dance".
｀Bon｀ is a time to honor your ancestors so many people head to the hometown and clean the grave stones of those close to them who have passed.But its also I time to celebrate life and what better way than a giant dance party！
Later I was off to Nagoya which has a beautiful castle which is only magnafied by being lit up at night if that wasnt enough you guessed it another festival. Of course there was some dancing，but also taiko drums，buskers and most importantly a beer garden that served chicken wings，one of my favourite foods. Nagoya is famous for 3 dishes ｀kishimen｀ a flat noodle serve in a ton of diffent flavours，｀misokatsu｀ my new personal favourite which consists of a fried breaded pork cutlet on a bed of rice topped with a red soy bean paste sauce，and ｀tebasaki｀ which also uses the red ｀miso｀（soy bean paste）all of which are scrumptous.
In Nagoya I met up with buddy Dan and hit a club and was amazed how poorly most of then could dance it look like a Jr. high school dance with every one faceing the DJ and 2 stepping back and forth，but it was an interesting night out. Nagoya is also the birth place of ｀pachinko｀ a cross betweem pinball and a slot machine. I lost，but Dan won，so he took me out for beer and ｀kishimen｀.
Next stop was at the most famous destination in Japan，kyoto.
The festival was ｀daimonji｀ where they burn giant ｀kanji｀or letters on some mountains one of which is the ｀kanji｀大 which means big.
There was way too much to see and do in Kyoto for just a day trip, so I｀ll go back again. Next time I will seek out a ｀maiko｀or ｀geisha｀in training.All in all,it was a lot of bang for my buck.

Japanese superhero

2009-08-04T01:21:00.001-07:00

I honestly dont know much about Gundam，but in places like Akihabara（the'otaku'aka geek capital of Japan）saying so is a jailable offense.
Many people collect pratically anything Gundam and so even carry something like a poster sticking out of their backpack to resemble Gundam｀s sword. It｀s an all out obsession with some.
I just think it looks cool standing there 3 stories tall.
ps dont say its a robot they get pissed its a mobile suit and some gets inside to run it apparently

Climbing Mt. Fuji

2009-07-06T23:14:00.001-07:00

2009-07-01T22:47:00.001-07:00

Bali is a wild mixture of beauty and poverty,kitch and tradition,friendliness and the desire to take the tourist for all they are worth. But dont get me wrong overall it is paradise！
The food is delicious and cheap.（provided you check around）
We went to an area that you could dine on the beach and the first placed we check（where the taxi driver suggested）was twice as expensive as the place we went to and they both provided the same products. Im no seafood expert but i couldnt see any difference in the quality when we were picking out our dinner.
The massages there are beyond words. There isnt much as nice as having two women massage you on the beach and for only about 5＄.
Every meal we had was a delight to our senses smell,taste,sight and hearing. Yes, hearing as well. Most places provided live entertainment daily.Bob Marley is a favourite of mine as well as most Balinese people.
Most men and some women have tattoos in Bali, so naturally there are some great artists as well. I was able to get a long sought after dragon tattoo and at a fraction of the cost I would have had to pay in my home country or Japan.

its long！

2009-06-12T02:10:00.001-07:00

a manga kiss good night

2009-06-06T13:50:00.001-07:00

No,it isnt because thats all I could fit in the picture that was the whole room. Its about 1 meter square with a padded floor, a bean bag chair and a computer with internet access. Welcome to an internet cafe the last refuge of the poor, the drunk and those who have missed the last train or in my case all 3.
But its not all bad. You get unlimited internet access, more comics aka manga than you could read in a life time and all-u-can drink soft drinks. All in all its a good deal at about 10 to 15 dollars a night. Also they call them manga kiss which is fairly inviting.

a little wisdom goes a long way

2009-06-04T09:28:00.001-07:00

Recently I had to have a wisdom tooth removed so seeings that I dont have insurance in Japan I thought I should shop around.
I still dont speak Japanese as well as I′d like to so I checked into some English speaking dentists. The prices seemed relatively reasonable so I had pretty much settle on making an appointment. Then I thought I should atleast give a Japanese speaking dentist a call and found out it would cost about a third of the price!
So naturally I brought my A-game Japanese and hit the Japanese speaking dentist and Im glad they did great and spoke slowly and used simple Japanese. They started with biz Japanese which is way to difficult for me and some Japanese people too. But I ask them not to and they did.
They did amazing and I hardly had any pain. In the end I was one wisdom tooth lighter yet a little wiser.

smallest escalator

2009-05-26T21:48:00.001-07:00

This is actually the shortest escalator in the world. The 2nd shortest is in Tokyo station.
That｀s my small news,what｀s yours？

2009-05-18T03:37:00.001-07:00

not ours unfortunatly

2009-05-16T23:05:00.001-07:00

new recipe

2009-05-06T05:30:00.001-07:00

2009-03-22T22:37:00.001-07:00

family trip

2009-03-22T19:40:00.001-07:00

so im on my way to the airport to meet my family and I started to think what a big difference this must be for them,especially my niece and nephew. They are used to regular trips to florida, camping and stuff like that,but to hop on a plane and go half way around the world to a land of people who dont look,talk or act like them must be overwhelming. I only hope they can appreciate this opportunity. I also hope this will foster a love of travel and a respect for other cultures.

neon city、Shinjuku

2009-01-15T19:39:00.001-08:00

krazy krispy kream

2008-11-13T19:42:00.001-08:00

its unbelievable how much Japanese apparently love to wait in lines. You might think this line which began at about 9am(doors open @ 10)would be for concert tickets or an amusement park but it isn't. it's for the grand openning of a Krispy Kream！ At 1230 the line up is still 2 1/2 hours long. krazy Japanese but you have to love them.

2008-11-05T00:03:00.001-08:00

halloween 2008

2008-10-18T08:18:00.001-07:00

Surfs Up！

2008-09-05T00:28:00.001-07:00

I love Canada and my new home Japan but there's nothing better than an adventure in a new local. Today I'm headed to the land of poo poo platers，surfing and the best place to get laid in the world.(pun intended) If you haven't guessed yet I'm off to Hawaii！ I'll be an eye witness to the newest land on Earth via a volcano. If that wasn't enough to lure me in I'll also be having a close encounter with some sharks as I plunge into a shark cage. Aloha！

2008-08-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

Coming from Toronto、a city of over 2M people、it still is amazing to see how busy Tokyo really is. One of the most beautiful yet mysterious aspects of Japan is its people｀s ability to intagrate other cultures without losing their own.
Canada has embraced every culture of the world、 which is one of the many majestic elements of my homeland、 but in doing so we may have lost the chance for an individual identity.
Japan has many aspects of its culture deeply ingrained into its language、eating、businesses and every other part of life.

Ｔ．Ｂ．Ｃ．

kawasaki street dancers

2008-07-08T06:16:00.001-07:00

Beerfest Ebisu 2008

2008-06-03T03:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Carlo and I couldn't pass up the chance to sample over 120 kinds of beer offered through out Japan. So we got there early to find out that Japanese people truly love to wait in line because there was already a few hundred people ahead of us. We got in eventually and received our 50cc souvenir glass and headed to the nearest beer tap. We worked our way along one side of the hall and came to realize as much as we LOVE beer we don't love every beer. I have tried many a beer in my life time and most of them I can at the least swallow and smile, but I met my match we it came to spiced beer. I'm not sure of all the components in these kinds of beer, but one might be liquid drain cleaner. Of course being the big tough (drunk) guys that we are my friend and I persevered and drank the nasty liquid they called a beer and moved on to bigger and better things. Actually they weren't any bigger but they were better. The usually subdued Japanese cut loose after an hour or so mainly because they are mostly light weights when it comes to drinking. Japanese people are so much fun when they forget about what others think and just relax and have fun. In the end we probably drank about 100 kinds of beer and met some great people from all over Japan. But being the crazy lushes that we are we went to a pub and had a few more before heading home. Good times!

proud moment

2008-04-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

I just gave my first ever speech in Japanese and it made the recipent cry with tears of joy.

Crazy Japanese Festival

2008-04-12T01:14:00.000-07:00

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXWho ever said the Japanese are subdued?

please read next entry for an explanation to this madness

crayiest festival ever

2008-04-11T17:17:00.001-07:00

Yes, this festival is all about man's best friend and I'm not talking about dogs either. The festival is centered around phallic symbols both big and small, but with an emphases on the big. It is an ancient festival dated back to the 1600's known as the Edo period in Japan. The name is the Kanamara festival. Kana stands for metal and mara comes from the ancient symbol for man (which is no longer used in Japan). I couldn't help to sing 'Iron Man' in my head a little when I was there. There are two stories behind the festival one is fact one is fiction. Fact: Kawasaki was a stopping off point on the Tokaido line( an ancient road across Japan) where travels could partake in prostitutes. The prostitutes would go to this temple to ask for protection from disease and unwanted pregnancies. Other people would ask for things like painless child birth or a fertile marriage. (to each their own, right?) Fiction: There once was a beautiful girl who everyone fell in love with including a demon, but she thwarted his advances. One day when the demon found out she was about to get married he climbed into her must private of areas (yes, down there) and waited. After the wedding when the groom tried to consummate the marriage the demon to a big bite of ... well you know. The towns people want to help the poor girl (it was too late for the groom) and the blacksmith had a great idea. He made a metal phallus and when he inserted it into the beautiful maiden the demon bite down again but this time he lost all of teeth. The demon came out and ran away to tend to his wounds. The blacksmith married the girl and lived happily ever after. (with there big metal dildo)
Nowadays festival is quite popular with foreigners, but it's almost completely forgotten by Japanese. But if you are in Japan on the 1st Sunday of April. Head on down to the Kanamara festival and have a blast.

cherry blossoms

2008-04-02T19:16:00.001-07:00

Dralion Cirque du soliel in Tokyo

2008-03-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WINncTVBU0k

This show which was created in Canada has grown to become an international phenomenon and it just keeps getting more and more popular. This was the first time for me to see one of their performances but I'm sure it won't be the last time.

This shows name was ' Dralion' because Cirque du soliel decided to include some Chinese acrobatics into its ever evolving spectacle of strength, balance, agility among other abilities. The word Dralion is a combination of the words Dragon representing the east and Lion representing the west. The theme for this show is the elements FIRE, WIND, WATER and EARTH and it brought to life an amazing mythical world of light, dance, music and entertainment. To describe what they did in the show would be futile because I could never do it justice but I have included a link to a video that can whet your appetite for the real thing. So get out there and buy your tickets ASAP I promise you won't be disappointed. And for all you guys that are saying 'ya right like I'd go to a show like that' remember there are a whole lot of beautiful women in skin tight suits to keep you happy.

fuji-Q highland

2008-03-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

This has to be the best amusment park in Japan. It has the tallest, fastest rollercoasters in the world, but also the one with the most inversions in the fourth demension which means the car you are in also tilts and flips over depending on the direction and angle you are traveling. It also provides a nice view of Mt. Fuji from many of the rides if you look closely you can see Fuji behind me. There is something amazing about the feeling you get when you are being whirled around at break neck speeds and looking at one of the most majestic mountians in the world.

East meets west

2008-03-25T05:33:00.001-07:00

It's very common and almost traditional for Japanese people to drink with their coworkers regularly. One of these occasions is the ever popular welcome party for new employees. In a small company each individual will receive a welcome party where as in a large company the recruits for each year will receive a group party. This type of party usually consists of speeches from each section of the company starting with lower employees and ending with the highest management or even sometimes the owner of the company. The party starts out rather formal but after large amounts of beer and sake in takes the direction any party would take with a bunch of drunk friends and coworkers. We tell jokes, exchange stories and sometimes act like fools. GOOD TIMES!

who doesn｀t love beer?

2008-03-24T00:26:00.001-07:00

Japanese love of sake is well known,but what's not as well known is their affection for beer. Not just Japanese beer either,but beer from all over the globe. The beer in the pic is Belgian and @ 11% alcohol it has a real kick, but a smooth taste. Just watch you don｀t down too many or your date may end up looking like the pic on the bottle when you finally sobber up.

Japanese Onsen

2008-03-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

In Japan
'onsen' or hot spring or bath is a very popular past time. Recently, my wife and I went to a great amusement park near the base of Mt. Fuji. It has the tallest and the fastest roller coasters in the world as well as the roller coaster with the most spins in the 4Th dimension(your seat spins around). But after a long day of scaring the sh!t out of ourselves its great to relax in a hot bath and when I say hot I mean it. At an average 42 degrees Celsius a Japanese 'onsen' is well above the average temperature of any North American hot tub. This one was on the balcony of our b and b and built for two but when my wife got out I had a chance to kick back and relax. Good times!!!

2008-03-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

It's the begining of spring in Japan so that means festivals! Festivals mean food, beautiful girls and sometimes food shaped like girls.

In the second pic is some kind of pudding treat and she says 'Go ahead, you can like them!'

Japan is the land of festivals for everything from the famous cherry blossom viewing parties which consists of thousands of people eating and drinking in parks and sometimes people even look at the cherry blossoms to historical festivals where they act out ancient samurai wars. All of these include food, alcohol and many people in beautiful yukatas. A yukata is like a casual kimono usually wore at fireworks festivals but recently people wear them for all sorts of occasions. So get out there and enjoy but hopefully your hayfever doesn't slow you down. If it does just have a few more beers and forget about it.

2008-03-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

my computer is toying with me so i will resume blogging ASAP
see you soon
peace

Yokohama China Town

2008-02-10T22:01:00.001-08:00

chinese new year 08

2008-02-08T05:44:00.001-08:00

My wife with some shady Chinese guy

Dragon Bites Baby

2008-02-07T05:47:00.001-08:00

In Yokohama(the 2nd largest city in Japan) there is a beautiful China town. I decided to go to check out the Chinese new year celebration. They have great food specials, my wife and I went to an all-you-can-eat place that had the food on a round conveyer belt, so you don't have to ever get up. It cost about 12$ and the food was not too bad. We then went to see the dragon dancers that went up and down the main street bringing luck to shop owners and onlookers. It is said that if the dragon bites the top of a childs head then the child will grow up healthy, so there were lots of babies there to be bitten. Later we went to a beautiful temple and burned some incense and checked out the amazing design and architecture of the building. To top the day off we had our pictures taken in some traditional Chinese garb. All in all GOOD TIMES!

mexican food in Japan

2008-02-04T01:21:00.000-08:00

In Japan there is a plethora of restaurants of every nationality, creed, style and design. But to have some very cute little old ladies cook you Mexican food and serve you tequila is still kind of strange. The food was pretty good, but the tequila and the people were great. I have eaten a lot of new kinds of food here and there are still more to sample in the future so stay tuned.

kitkat

2008-01-29T19:43:00.001-08:00

In Japan they change the flavor of kitkat more than they change trains. There seems be a new flavour every week somegood like strawberry some not so good like chestnut. I just hope they keep the original and never make natto flavour. By the way natto is fermented soy beans a Japapnese favourite.

wild boar w/ babies Guam

2008-01-28T19:52:00.001-08:00

These wild pigs were apparently getting used to having tourist around. They like all of the leftovers we leave. These ones found a good home near Talafofo falls which is a hot spot for tourists.

Guam, natural pool

2008-01-25T23:27:00.001-08:00

This is a few of the locals having fun while waiting for there BBQ to cook. Looks like fun doesn't it.

guam,usa

2008-01-20T23:43:00.001-08:00

Guam is an amazing place were east meets west and has a lot of it's own personal flavor too. The native people are called Chamorro and from what I can tell they are some of the most laid back fun loving people in the world. One thing is for sure they love to BBQ and they will do so for pretty much any reason at all. As for the tourist they are mostly Japanese, but there are some Korean, Chinese and other Asian countries represented there. There is a definite feel of being in America, but with so many Asian faces it is sometimes hard to tell. The ocean is beautiful and the back country of this small island is something to be explored. I went to see a beautiful waterfalls and the place where a Japanese man hid out for 28 years believing the war was still on. Also we went to a natural pool where the water was protected from the waves and larger species by high rock formations, but allow in many smaller and absolutely beautiful fish. It was a great place for swimming of snorkling. As a side note they also have great strip clubs too.

Mr. Yokoi's hole GUAM,USA

2008-01-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

A Japanese soldier hid in this hole for 28 years believing the war was still going on. Incedently, there also were a few Japanese soldiers hiding under the mess in my room when I was a teenager.

new year's apples

2008-01-16T00:13:00.001-08:00

who said japanese have a healthy diet?

2008-01-12T23:30:00.001-08:00

This burger is as big around as a childs head.It's topped with tomato,egg, bacon, cheese and a few more things. It's made with a aussie beef patty bigger than my fist and tastes amazing.

bad name for a cafe

2008-01-11T16:07:00.001-08:00

ringing in the new year

2008-01-06T04:29:00.001-08:00

new year's decorations

2008-01-02T22:38:00.001-08:00

In Japan these things are erected all over at new year to stimulate luck and arouse good feelings. But they are not falic in any way.

year end party

2007-12-29T05:51:00.001-08:00

perfect way to end a day of skiing

2007-12-27T00:40:00.001-08:00

This is a Japanese hot public bath or 'Onsen' the temp is quite high, but it's amazing for sore muscles after a long day. Also it's a good place to drink a beer and relax just make sure you get out before you pass out. You go in completely nude so unfortunatly they are separated into men's and women's bathes.

nagano japan

2007-12-26T23:55:00.001-08:00

The Japanese Alps are almost as beautiful as their women. But I still like the women much much more.

skiing injury

2007-12-25T23:59:00.001-08:00

I slid about three meters after taking a jump
most of the slide was on my thumb and my head but still it was GOOD TIMES! in Hakuba, Japan.

more engrish

2007-12-25T15:30:00.001-08:00

a white christmas in Japan

2007-12-24T19:02:00.001-08:00

Im not quite awake here, but I did just ride a bus all night to get here. It was nice to have a white Christmas and skiing was a ton o' fun. I want to go back again once my body stops hurting. lol

used apple juice?!?

2007-12-24T09:38:00.001-08:00

Joy to the world

2007-12-24T00:21:00.000-08:00

Peace in the far east and on your streets

Bad Santa

2007-12-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night(of drinking)

All the best to you and yours.

Street idols

2007-12-22T02:18:00.001-08:00

I cant remember what their names were because I was drunk when I met them. But they were great and very cute. One even sang a English christmas carol for me. So sweet. There are so many 'street idols' trying to make it out there, but partly because they cant practice in their house or apartment. So I love to enjoy the free entertainment. Thanks girls!

2007-12-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

The road out of YK seems like it goes on forever. But a nice drive if you have the time.

YK sunset

2007-12-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Its not always cold though. YK in the summer is so beautiful and the sunsets last for hours. That is when the sun does go down. One of the best things I did in YK was Tee off at midnight in the sun at the 'Land of the midnight sun' golf tournament. But thats not to say I shot a good game.

2007-12-21T20:44:00.001-08:00

Nothing like camping with snow still on the ground. That means you have to have someone to snuggle up close to so you can stay warm.

( ' o ` ) wink wink

Best light show in the world

2007-12-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Of course, one of the best things about the YK is the Northern lights. Absolutely amazing to see. People say that if you make a friend under the lights you will be friends for life and I believe it.

Frozen noodles anyone?

2007-12-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

This is what happens to instant noodles at -40 C after only 2 and 1/2 minutes.

2007-12-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

Me and my hommie the snow sphinx in front of the snow castle in YK. The theme in 2006 was Egypt.
Its great they have a little cafe, a theatre, a couple of bedrooms and even a chapel for weddings if you dont mind getting married in a white parka.

Snow castle for rent until summer

2007-12-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

Even though it's cold as hell in Yellowknife I really miss it. Especially things like this the 'Snow King's Castle'. He builds one every year and each on usually has a theme to it.

2007-12-21T03:18:00.000-08:00

After her grad at The Tokyo forum we took some pics and went for lunch and a beer to celebrate. Good times!

2007-12-21T03:15:00.002-08:00

The day before graduation Izumi showed off her outfit.

2007-12-21T03:15:00.001-08:00

2007-12-21T03:13:00.000-08:00

This is also Roppongi hills at the Tokyo beer fest. We could try beer from the big 5 breweries in Japan, so I try a few from each place.

2007-12-21T03:10:00.000-08:00

Having a few beers outside is always a good idea no matter where you are. But Japanese people do love to drink. You can drink any where in Japan and even buy it in vending machines. Gotta love it!!!

Engrish

2007-12-21T02:58:00.001-08:00

I know Japanese people are short, but come on the peg must be only 1 cm tall.

Engrish

2007-12-21T01:57:00.001-08:00

I love Engrish!

2007-12-20T23:33:00.000-08:00

I don't know what she was selling, but this is always an interesting sight in Shinjuku. Every where you look here it's modern and full of neon, MC- D's, department stores and state of the art electronics. So women in tradional clothes hocking things on the street seems a little out of place but I love it.

Takoa san lift

2007-12-20T22:58:00.001-08:00

Guardian of Takao san

2007-12-20T19:34:00.000-08:00

Takao san temple

2007-12-20T08:11:00.001-08:00

Mount Takoa aka Takoa San

2007-12-19T22:11:00.001-08:00

Home of lesser known superhero POLAR BOY

2007-12-19T19:26:00.001-08:00

Disney Sea Tokyo

2007-12-19T19:22:00.001-08:00

Wanna get laid?

2007-12-19T05:56:00.001-08:00

Out of this world temple

2007-12-19T03:49:00.001-08:00

2007-12-19T03:45:00.001-08:00

Pimp-a-licious

2007-12-19T03:26:00.001-08:00

2nd shortest escalator in the world

2007-12-19T01:58:00.001-08:00

2007-12-14T01:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Deanger ZONE!

Yes, that is me wearing the santa hat. The real bad santa!