Move To China! And Other Ways To Deal With The Recession

How to best handle this recession/depression, you ask? Don’t worry, FTRD, Recession Junction, and The Onion have the answers.

Photo: Jessica Shannon/ Feature photo: stuartpilbrow

We here at the Matador Network have been contemplating the whys of traveling during the global recession, how exactly to go about traveling during this currency-strapped time, and how to handle it all by becoming a spiritual activist.

The folks over at F* the ReDepression, however, are taking a different approach to dealing with our global party’s-over “don’t-have-to-go-home-but-you-can’t-stay-here” meltdown.

Along with their handy-dandy tagline, “Might as well, it’s going to f* you,” they recently compiled the top 10 ways to F* the ReDepression, introducing the piece with these instructions:

First things first: You gotta believe. After that, who knows. At FTRD, we believe that the best way to FTRD is to pretend like it isn’t happening. This is the same strategy that FDR used while the Nazis rampaged Europe from 1933 to 1941. It worked then, and it will work now.

Other tasty tips include:

• Move to… China? (def. not Europe, the UK or South America. and DEFINITELY not Africa)
• Get a government job. They control everything. They print the money. You oughta roll with them!
• Get a second family. If your new family has working-age children you just doubled your workforce!
• Collect unemployment. Wait, how is this not #1? Stop reading this and go get it NOW.

Be sure to check out the rest of their list.

The Good News

What about a positive that stems from the greed of all those banker fat-cats?

Well, a group just granted the right to marry in Vermont is shouting a big fat “Hell-No!” to recession. Gay and lesbian travel is forecasted to be higher than heterosexual travel this summer.

The recession has also spawned hilarious t-shirts and cups to express your recession-depression frustrations to the world. Check out Recession Junction’s plethora of choices, including my favorites, “I will cut you, bitch!” and “Alms for the Poor.”

Last but certainly not least, when you are really down, you know who to turn to…The Onion. They’ve put together a video of the best reality show ever, Autoworkers Compete to Keep Jobs, Livelihoods.

What has kept you smiling during the economic crisis? Share your thoughts below.

Quitters Unite: The Joys Of Complaint-Free Travel

Delays and irritations go hand and hand with travel, but what might happen if you simply remain positive?

Complaint Free Bracelets / Photo: A Complaint Free World

Seems the law of attraction is even hitting the church.

Will Bowen, a minister in Kansas City, Missouri, has set fire to a movement aptly titled, A Complaint Free World.

The purpose of the movement is simple: go 21 consecutive days without complaining. To help you along, wear the group’s signature purple bracelet, and every time you make a complaint, switch it to your other wrist.

Some people are able to make the 21 days in a month; others take a year. Bowen says that it takes an average of four to six months to complete the allotted three weeks complaint free, but that awareness of how much we complain just continues to build through the process.

Like the Law Of Attraction, the idea is that the more we complain, the more we have to complain about. Being positive brings positive changes to our lives, and frees us up in many different ways - emotionally, physically, energetically.

So I began to wonder, what would complaint free travel look like? Oh, lawdy.

Complaint Free Travel

One of my favorite points that Bowen makes is that most of us recognize how much other people complain, but not how much we ourselves complain.

Even thinking about all the things that have gone wrong in my travels, things like:

• Flying out of Oakland for a four month jaunt, hungover, not fully moved out of my apartment although my lease ended that day, and arriving at 5:40am only to find out my flight was the next day;
• Several pairs of underwear falling out of my backpack as they kicked us out of a bus in the dark of night, nowhere, Zambia;
• Balling my eyes out as I caught the last train out of my semester abroad in Florence with two huge suitcases that I could barely move and then realized I was on the wrong train,

All of these make me cringe at how much I’ve complained on the road.

And the truth is, most of those “things that went wrong” make for the best damn stories when you come back (especially to write about).

Change Your Experience

Just smile/ Feature Photo: JAIRO BD

Complaint free travel means you’d have to hold your tongue when you get to sit on a runway for five hours waiting to take off.

It means you’d have to smile and mean it when miscommunication occurs at a restaurant where you think you’ve ordered garlic tofu and instead you get garlic rooster balls.

It also means that coming back to your hostel and finding a couple having sex on the sleeping bag you so neatly laid out earlier for easy access after pub closing time would dignify only a request to move to another mattress.

And yet, not complaining may open you up to people, places, and adventures that would otherwise have been nixed.

Think about landing the perfect job because you met someone on an organized tour that your friends deemed not hip enough, seeing the most amazing landscape on Earth when you decide to visit somewhere that is “known” to be a criminals haven, or getting to know the love of your life by sitting on that airport tarmac for five hours.

Welcome to traveling with gratitude.

A Monk gives sex advice

Holy Union: A Polish Monk's Divine-Sex Guide

A woman takes a copy of Sex As You Don't Know It: For Married Couples Who Love God, a new book by Father Ksawery Knotz, from a bookstore in Warsaw, Poland

Czarek Sokolowski/AP

Sex in marriage does not need to be practiced with lights off; it can be "saucy, surprising and fantasy-packed" and at the same time without sin, says a monk in a book that has become a best seller in predominantly Catholic and conservative Poland.

In Sex As You Don't Know It: For Married Couples Who Love God, published in April, Franciscan Father Ksawery Knotz offers theological and practical advice for married couples who want to spice up their sex lives, all the while assuring them they are doing nothing wrong.

"There is still a penal code–style mentality [toward sex]," Father Knotz said at a press conference promoting the book at the headquarters of the Polish Catholic Church Episcopate. "People ask me what is allowed and what is forbidden in bed. [That attitude] is ridiculous."

Father Knotz revealed that he found the inspiration for his sex guide in another popular pastime: "I compare sex to a football game," he said. "There are games of different leagues, great and wonderful as well as boring and hopeless."

The book, which has been dubbed the "Catholic Kama Sutra," has the backing of the Catholic Church in Poland and the national media — even the ultraconservative Catholic daily Nasz Dziennik gave it a positive review. Bookstores around the country sold out of the first 5,000 copies within weeks. The St. Pawel publishing house has already ordered a reprint and is considering translations into English, Italian and Slovak.

The book stays in line with Church teachings about the ban on birth control, but most of its content isn't the kind of things you learn in Sunday school. "Some people, when they hear about the holiness of married sex, immediately imagine that such sex has to be deprived of joy, frivolous play, fantasy and attractive positions," writes Father Knotz, who lives in a monastery of the Order of Friars outside Kraków in Stalowa Wola in southern Poland. "They think it has to be sad, like a traditional church hymn. But every act, caress or sexual position that has the goal of arousal is permitted and pleases God."

Still, says the author, there are certain rules in the bedroom, just as there are on a football field. Asked at the press conference whether it is a sin to use a whip during sex, Father Knotz stressed that he "does not talk about pathology but a normal behavior. We should not make a sex shop out of the Church."

When asked whether a celibate priest is qualified to write about sex, Father Knotz said that much of his book stems from questions he has encountered running a website that counsels married couples. The site, called A Chance to Meet, presents a sexual act "as a meeting that occurs not only between a husband and wife who love each other but also between the married couple and God," and offers advice in both Polish and English.

Father Daniel Luka of the St. Pawel publishing house told reporters, "We want to give answers to problems which have become a taboo in church — problems with sex, which is a way to show affection but also a way to build a relationship between a married couple." Gives a whole new meaning to the missionary position.

What Can Travel Teach You About The American Dream?

Explore. Dream. Discover. / Photo: satbir

Some people believe the American Dream is the possibility of fame and fortune. In reality, it’s about the freedom to live as you choose.

Go to school, get good grades and one day you will grow up to be a doctor or a lawyer. If you are lucky you will marry someone, have two kids and own a big house in the suburbs.

Ah, the American Dream.

For decades, the rest of the world has fantasized about going to America and living the good life. They thought that the only way to be truly successful was to be in the United States living with the stars in Hollywood and schmoozing with celebrities.

With travel becoming more affordable, the growing popularity of the Internet, and developing countries emerging in the global market, things have changed.

People are realizing that there is more to life than what you own.

Life Passing By

With the world economy collapsing, people are questioning why they have put so much of their hard earned money into properties and investments as life passes them by.

People have started to feel that life is an experience and what you do with it enriches you in a way that possessions cannot.

Those who travel extensively tend to not want the weight of bills and mortgages. Their beliefs are slowing influencing everyone else. At one time everyone’s goal was to save for a dream home, now they are saving for that dream vacation.

People have started to feel that life is an experience and what you do with it enriches you in a way that possessions cannot.

International travel has opened people’s eyes to exciting possibilities. When once a family would only consider driving to Disneyland for a vacation, they will now go to Cairo or Paris to learn about ancient civilizations history.

Education is also changing. When children learn about geography and places in history, chances are someone has been there before. Locations linked to American history like Normandy, France and Hiroshima, Japan don’t seem that far away anymore.

A (Big) Small World

Photo: bitzcelt

The world is shrinking and cultures are blending.

Countries like China and India have developed their own middle class and their own brand of celebrity. They no longer only look to the U.S. for leadership and are comfortable with developing their own version of the American dream.

In contrast, travel has enriched the lives of Americans and opened up their eyes to different ways of living and thinking. They have learned that people are comfortable and happy in other countries and that they too can learn something from other cultures.

As flights become more affordable and staying connected with home becomes simpler, people are traveling to more exotic locations.

Millions of Americans travel abroad each year and the same can be said for tourists traveling to America. The more exposure one has to other cultures, the more one is influenced by that way of life. People are enjoying ethnic cuisine, practicing different religions and adopting values from countries that they have visited.

These travelers come home with a different perspective, adopt a new outlook on life and incorporate their new ideas into their lives at home.

Freedom to Choose

As we enter the 21st century, there seems to be a new way of thinking on earth. The definition of the American Dream is changing.

What was once considered strange and unusual is now normal.

What the American Dream truly is and always has been is the freedom to choose. Just because people are choosing to live their lives differently, doesn’t mean that it isn’t still the American dream.

Americans have the freedom to explore any way of life that they desire and that is what keeps the dream alive.

In The Battle For Beauty, Nature Wins Every Time

Do man-made creations only harm the planet, or can they be as powerful as nature’s?

It hasn’t been an easy week, what with more hidden photos of torture, the arrest of a former Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and learning that all of us recyclers/composters/bikers/tree-huggers are really just taking down the planet by sending out our emails to save the Arctic.

Plus, I locked myself out of my apartment. But I digress.

Even with all the bad news out there, every once in a while, I come across something that makes me ponder the beauty of even man-made creations.

Lanscapes From Above

The Boston Globe recently ran a series of pictures from photographer Jason Hawkes called Human Landscapes From Above. Here is the first pic:

Photo: Jason Hawkes/Boston Globe

Some people may see a sea of red and metal, and think this picture is just an example of our over-consumerism.

While on the one-hand, this is true, I also see the many hands went into creating these cars, possibly being the life’s work of some. The intricacy with which the cars are placed speaks to our ability to create usable patterns that the eye is still able to get lost in.

And every once in a while, stepping back to contemplate that just over a century ago, a very simple version of these machines were just a dream in the minds of a few people, is pretty staggering.

So how are we able to bridge the two - over-production of something that is causing harm to the planet versus the art of creating machines beyond the wildest dreams of our ancestors - and handle these realities without jumping to either extreme?

Call me an optimist (and most people I knew growing up never would have), but I believe that every “problem” has a solution. You shine a light in a dark corner and guess what happens? It’s not dark anymore.

And I have a sneaking suspicion travelers understand this best of all.

Natural landscapes

Another one of Hawkes’ photographs is of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park:

Photo: Jason Hawkes/Boston Globe

The colors and landscape are a simple reminder that nature outperforms us every time. But that’s ok - we have the ability to work with (not against) nature’s beauty and bounty, enjoying all its free entertainment, if we keep trying to figure out how we can work with (not against) the Earth.

I remember a story a friend once told me about a Native-American tribe who volunteered to hold some nuclear waste on their land. Why would they do such a thing, I asked?

My friend explained: the tribe knew it was better for them, who have always had a give-and-take relationship with the Earth, to figure out what to do with the waste than it was for the US government.

Good point, and a starting place from which to ask questions.

Will human creations be as beautiful - and not harmful - as nature’s? Share your thoughts below!

Waging Peace: Israeli Mother And Palestinian Soldier Unite

Understanding the suffering of the “other side” may just give peace a chance.

Robi Damelin / Photo: Speaking of Faith

The piece begins with the following idea:

The approach of personal transformation is the idea of the future for ending war…If enough people in the world transformed themselves into peacemakers, war could end.

So I was inspired when I came across an article about an unlikely pair trying to wage piece in the Middle East: a former Palestinian fighter, and a Jewish mother whose son fought in the Israeli army.

Personal transformation occurred for both of these individuals due to something that will touch each of us at some point in our lives: death.

Robi Damelin, the Israeli mother, lost her son to a Palestinian sniper seven years ago; Ali Abu Awwad’s brother Youssef was killed by an Israeli soldier two years before that.

They met five years ago through Parents Circle, an organization that brings together the families of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost close relatives in the conflict.

Awwad says of his relationship to Robi:

If someone had said to me when I was 15 that I would have someone like Robi as a friend, in my wildest dream I would not have imagined it. But when I met her she began to tell me about her relationship to her sons and how the killing of David affected her relationship with her other son. I felt this very deeply because my mother didn’t pay much attention to me after the death of my brother, because she was closer to him than me. We made a connection.

They stress that their relationship is not one of no disagreements, but one of understanding. After all, reconciliation is rooted in understanding the suffering of the person on the other side.

Ali Abu Awwad / Photo: Encounter Point

And they are taking this message to as many parts of the world that they can: speaking together at mosques, synagogues, parliaments and public meetings throughout the Middle East, and most recently at an Amnesty International event in Britain.

To me, this story signifies that we are all allowed to maintain our own beliefs, ideals, and points-of-view when working toward peace.

Conflict occurs when any beliefs are taken too far, or when they’re pushed on another who doesn’t agree.

When we travel, we often come up against points-of-view that are completely different than our own. But I believe that most travelers see these different approaches as the diversity that makes our world beautiful, and can make each of us a better person in some way (even if we completely disagree with the belief).

And maybe those disagreements simply give us a chance to practice waging peace within ourselves.

To learn more: check out Encounter Point, a doc featuring the story of Ali and Robi.

Insect killing robots!

Hoi Hoi San

Kotobukiya's entrance into the articulated figure scene?
Hoi Hoi San is a partialy painted kit that can be easily put together. Retail price is 3,150 yen and will be out this September.

Know nothing about the series apart from what I just read at ANN.

Plot Summary: The time is the near future. Cockroaches and other household pests have become immune to all forms of insecticides. In response to this crisis, a Japanese company has created small, doll-like insect exterminating robots called Hoi Hoi-san.

A competing company has also released their own version, Combat-san. Because of their adorable appearance, these little robots have become somewhat of a phenomenon and have gained many fans. Late at night, in the home of one such fan, Hoi Hoi-san and Combat-san search for insects to exterminate... but Combat-san is not above trying to exterminate Hoi Hoi-san while she's at it.

If you have not seen it and watch the video below then I think you will end up wanting one like me ^^;


More pics of the Kotobukiya figure kit at Hobby Stock.

Adult theme park gets Chinese talking about sex

A giant doll outside " Love Land", billed as China's first-ever sex theme park, in southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

China's is building its first sexually explicit theme park, and the giant genitalia sculptures and suggestive exhibits are getting many people hot and bothered in a country where talking about sex is still taboo.

Love Land is set to open in October in the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing and will feature exhibitions about sexual history and how to use condoms properly. It will also host sex technique workshops, the China Daily newspaper said.

A picture of the main entrance shows a signboard bearing the park's name being straddled by a giant pair of women's legs topped by a red thong.

The park's manager, Lu Xiaoqing, said Love Land would help people "enjoy a harmonious sex life."

"We are building the park for the good of the public," Lu said. "Sex is a taboo subject in China but people really need to have more access to information about it."

Sex is not a topic for open discussion in China, where government figures show only 7 percent of women and slightly over 8 percent of men get immediate medical help for sexual problems.

Earlier this year, the government launched a national sex education campaign aimed at getting more people to seek treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and infertility, to try and break some of the taboos.

The newspaper said the park was inspired by a similar attraction on South Korea's Jeju island, also called Loveland.

China's Love Land appears to be helping to get the conversation going. Months before it opens, the park is already generating heated discussions among bloggers in cyberspace.

"It's just too much," wrote blogger "Autumn Rain" on the popular Chinese portal baidu.com. "It's only about getting your heart to beat faster."

"Overseas, this park would be considered artistic. But in Chongqing, it's just vulgar," wrote "Big Scandal."

Other bloggers supported the idea.

"I don't object. Young people need to start sex education young as China has a problem when it comes to this," wrote "Eaglefly."

Park manager Lu said he was happy with all the debate.

"It is quite normal to see so much discussion about it," he said. "I have found that the majority of people support my idea but I have to pay attention and not make the park look vulgar and nasty."

Traveling with Twitter

Using Twitter for Travel

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See our Using Twitter for Travel slideshow.

The micro-blogging, social-networking site is full of travel deals, insider tips, news, and useful information.

From April 2009

By Everett Potter

See our Using Twitter for Travel slideshow.

Heather Whaling, a marketer from Florida, was recently planning a business trip to Long Beach, CA, and wondered if she should fly into Long Beach or LAX. She could have looked at blogs, checked out airport websites, or even called a travel agent. Instead, she turned to a different network—her friends on Twitter. “Everyone said to stay away from LAX,” she says. Following the advice of her fellow tweeters, she flew into Long Beach.

Twitter, the 140-characters-at-a-time Web phenomenon of the moment, turns out to be a powerful tool for travelers. It can take you deep into the collective mind of the Internet to find the latest—and often the hippest—information about hotels, restaurants, and airfare deals. And lots of travelers are discovering the site’s potential.

A bit of Twitter 101 (skip ahead if you’re already tweet-friendly): it’s a free service that lets you send and receive brief messages, called tweets, which are restricted to no more than 140 characters of text—meaning Twitter is a hybrid of instant messaging and blogging. People who follow you get your tweets, and you can choose which other Twitterers you want to follow. Tweets can be sent and received on twitter.com, traditional e-mail accounts, mobile phones, RSS, and Facebook.

Travel publications, of course, use Twitter to get the word out about their latest stories; travelandleisure.com (@TravlAndLeisure) also offers up travel deals. Hotel chains, food critics, and bloggers you won’t find on conventional travel sites maintain profiles as well. And established visitors’ bureaus are showing up; Portland, OR, has what it calls a Twisitor Center (@travelportland) to answer questions and promote the city to potential tourists.

Those on the receiving end of this information run the gamut of travel types. Zena Weist, a senior manager at a communications company in Kansas, was planning a Florida vacation that included Disney World and scoured @twisney and @TheDisneyBlog. “Twitter came in handy for nailing down the details,” she says. And Paul Smith, a Brit known as the Twitch Hiker, recently demonstrated Twitter’s usefulness—and ubiquity—by traveling from England to New Zealand using only suggestions from the Twitter community for transport and accommodation. (The Twitch Hiker made the 30-day trip to raise money for charity.)

No matter what kind of travel you’ll be doing, Twitter can be a powerful and efficient tool; after all, skimming the posts is faster than visiting a bunch of blogs. Use Twitter’s search engine to find, say, a member who tracks hotel deals in Tokyo or monitors rafting companies in Central America. Join a Twitter group like @travelpeople to find others with similar interests. Or follow an established family travel site such as @WeJustGotBack.

Because it’s informal, Twitter allows you to be conversational and responsive. And it connects you with travelers who prefer social networking over official travel websites. It can also be very local. With so many eyes scouring the Internet, culling from websites, and providing links, Twitter is a way to essentially create your own aggregator. Just as Kayak gleans the best fares from dozens of sources, you can manipulate Twitter to bring in a customized feed of information.

Happy tweeting.

Castle/Love hotel for sale

Lend me $1.5million would you? I want to buy a castle

These harsh economic times are apparently forcing the owners of this huge fairy tale castle in Ehime prefecture to put it up for auction. As an added bonus, the castle used to used as a love hotel up until 5 years ago, so it could be converted back to a SM and schoolgirl themed love hotel quite nicely, I suspect. That’s my plan anyway, assuming you’ll all bunch together and lend me a cool $15 squillion.

How To Raise Successful Kids While Living Overseas

Balloon photo by jesse.millan. Feature photo by ^riza^.

Here are some practical tips on how to raise happy, well-adjusted children while living overseas.

Your daughter is twelve years old and on her second passport. Her first passport is tattered and filled with stamps from Asia and the Middle East. This one looks set to go the same way.

Photo by broma

She was born in Boston but has only visited there during Christmas.

Her birthday parties are like a UN General Meeting. You watch in amazement as she moves between three languages while collecting her gifts .

When you took that first overseas posting, you weren’t even thinking about children. Back then, you never thought past the next contract. Then you got married, and suddenly there were diapers in your suitcase.

While your friends back home recreate their own childhood with their families, life as an expat parent is very different.

But traveling and living abroad with your family can be the most rewarding thing you’ll do together. You just need to make a few preparations and adjustments.

Who are the Expat Kids?

Some children think a nomadic life is normal; they’d put any Khao San road backpacker to shame.

Children from military, missionary and business families clock up the miles, sometimes before they’re even old enough to understand what’s happening.

Researchers working with these children call them ‘Third Culture Kids’. They discovered that children take what they know or remember from their home culture, and mix it with their host culture to make a third mixed-up bag that works just fine for them.

So, for example 90% of those recently surveyed here said they felt they understand foreigners better than the average American and 80% said they can make friends with anyone.

Photo by Cia de Foto

What do Expat Kids worry about?

Well, you need to listen to them. Your own relocation issues might seem bigger but knowing that Santa will find her little sister is a big deal for your twelve-year old.

Take the time to find out as much as you can about the new culture so you can recognize things like tasty fruit or dangerous spiders.

If your children look radically different to the people in your new home, be ready for some healthy curiosity and prepare your kids for life as a minor celebrity if you’re moving to a rural area.

Playing games is a big part of life for many kids, but ice-hockey isn’t big in the tropics and the football isn’t quite what you’re expecting. Talk to other expat parents online and find out what they do and how to join in.

What language should you speak abroad?

Sure, everyone at your workplace will speak English, and the staff provided for your home will probably do the same, but do you want your kids to continually impose English on their friends or learn some local words?

Even a six-month stay can leave them with an appreciation for the way the non-English speaking world runs.

Schooling for Expat Kids

Your choices for longer stays usually include:

• an international school
• the local school
• home schooling

The familiarity of English and the curriculum are the benefits of the international school system. Most countries have American schools and if not, then the UK system comes a close second.

Photo by LizMarie

Your kids can mix with other expat children and their local classmates are the perfect way for your kids to find out what the country is really like.

But because of the exclusive nature of most of these schools, some parents take the local option. If your kids are younger and not facing exams, then this could be a great experience for them with guaranteed local friends.

But do remember that their first weeks here will be tough. Being the new kid on the block is never easy, and if they don’t speak a word of the language, it’s even harder.

The third option is home-schooling, which is easier than ever before, with so much support online. Home-schooling is a good choice in countries where one parent can’t work because of visa restrictions.

Expat Kids at College

When your little girl grows up, you’ll be making college choices from Kuwait to Switzerland. Once again, the internet comes to the rescue. Whether your kids are seen as local or international students varies from school to school, so make sure you ask before completing the applications – are they in the smaller and coveted international pool or competing with everyone else?

Photo by Josiah MacKenzie

Give your child time to investigate colleges online, and think about whether they want to go back to their native country or not.

For some Third Culture Kids, going back to a normal life isn’t all that exciting. It might be a shock to discover that your kids are bored rigid at the thought of studying where you call home, but think of the savings in tuition fees.

Expat Kids Love Life

Don’t stress too much. Most expat kids are incredibly well-adjusted and have friends all over the globe. They get to visit worlds that most teenagers just see on television and are comfortable with traveling in a way many older people only dream about.

And it’s not just about travel; these kids tend to be more tolerant than children raised in only one culture. If you’re still not convinced, just look at the most famous Third Culture Kid in the world today: Barack Obama.

Side trip to the wilds of Tokyo Japan adventure includes visual feast and lesson in food safety

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Japan may seem familiar to Canadian visitors, but after a visit to a few of the stores there you realize that you are a long way from home.

Photograph by: Issei Kato, Reuters

Drunk teens partying in Pikachu costumes. Torrential thunderstorms. Barfing on the floor of a studio while wearing a poufy, white designer wedding dress. A strange, unrefrigerated zero-calorie yogurt drink.

7-Eleven selling racks of manga. Devices in convenience stores that make people look Caucasian. Steven Seagal movies. Green tea ice cream. Male models. A motel-style apartment reminiscent of the United Nations, complete with an American Obama-enthusiast, an Irish tourist dude, and models from France, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, France and Russia.

What do all these have in common? They're a part of the adventure the two of us have had in our seven-week stay in Tokyo.

We came to Tokyo at the beginning of March for a modelling trip. It was Kate's third time here, but for Leah, who was "chaperoning" for the last three weeks, it was the first time in Tokyo. Our mom came with us for the first four weeks to set up the cramped, one-room apartment. For two young girls living alone, Japan is definitely the best place to be.

You know the city is fairly crime-free when there are vending machines on every street corner -- containing beer and cigarettes no less -- and no one breaks into them in the middle of the night. Sure, things can get a little exciting the first week of April when the cherry trees bloom, the local parks erupting in canopies of beautiful pink flowers. All the teens come out late at night to throw huge parties under the trees, blasting J-Pop music. And yes, more than a couple are known to don a Pokemon mask.

When Kate is not working, the two of us usually walk to Harajuku, the local teen hangout consisting of a street packed with countless clothing stores. Instead of letting loose on the weekends by going to house parties or chilling at a friend's house like Canadian teens, the Japanese kids come out to Harajuku in the wildest costumes imaginable. There's the adorable girl wearing a poufy, pink tea-party dress complete with a bonnet, to the creepy guy with purple hair, emo makeup and Matrix-inspired jacket.

Any shopping excursion requires the average Tokyo teen girl to curl her hair, apply three layers of makeup, accessorize her micro-miniskirt and don the highest pair of heels she can get her hands on. Yes, even in amusement parks or riding a bicycle, in Tokyo high heels are a woman's best friend. Why do the girls back home throw on a pair of jeans and a little lip-gloss to meet their friends for lunch, while in Tokyo a simple outing is enough reason to spend three hours in front of the bathroom mirror?

Maybe it's because the idea that women are objects to be admired is stronger here than in North America. Or perhaps looking nice just means more -- even Japanese boys always have their hair styled to perfection and dress impeccably.

For a tourist in Japan, walking into a convenience store is an adventure unto itself. Everything from green tea ice cream (bleh!), to pancakes with mushed beans in between them (surprisingly tasty), to strange milky-white yogurt drinks line the shelves of a 7-Eleven. (Just remember to refrigerate that yogurt drink -- or else if you're like Kate and have a photo shoot for the cover of a wedding magazine ... well, things might get a bit messy.)

It's not just the food that's different; there's a pair of nylons that boast they can burn 430 calories for every hour you wear them (tried them, didn't work) to contacts that can make your eyes purple, red, or black. But the most disturbing products we saw were designed for the small minority of Japanese women who wanted to appear more Caucasian: A device that makes your nose more upturned, another device that widens your eyes, another that enlarges your mouth, and special powder to make your skin whiter.

Tokyo is a huge, non-stop city, and despite the workaholic-attitude of the inhabitants, it's full of kind people, ancient culture and modern pleasures.

Whether we were dashing home through a wild thunderstorm (trying to avoid everyone's umbrellas which, held by the shorter Tokyo-ites, kept getting caught in our hair) in order to catch the Steven Seagal movie (basically the only English movies played), texting each other fervently because Kate was shooting with a French male model and Leah had just been stuck in an awkward 15-minute conversation with our middle-aged American neighbour Rick, or editing our novel under the billowing Sakura trees while drinking our (refrigerated this time) yogurt drinks, Tokyo was one big adventure.

Stories like this make me want to scream!

Bus Driver Catches Pedophile Despite Warning From Company

While this is a news story about a 73-year-old man preying on a poor 14-year-old mentally ill girl on a bus, this is also a story about a brave bus driver who went all his way to nap the pedophile despite the risk of losing his job.

This horrible 73 year old man, Atsushi Yamagami accompanied students on the bus which picked up and dropped off the special-needs students. Police arrested him for kissing the girl and rubbing her breasts over a period of about 20 minutes on the morning of March 4, as the bus headed to the school, carrying about 20 students at the time.

The incident came to light after his actions were recorded by a video camera installed by the bus driver, who handed the tape to police at Ikegami police station. The 47-year-old male bus driver first noticed Yamagami touching the student in May last year.

But when he spoke to the management of the company that operated the bus – Toto Kanko Bus - he was asked how he felt about not working for them anymore.

The driver then abandoned discussion with management and installed the camera without their knowledge.

Yamagami has admitted to the allegation and told police:

I did it because I thought she wouldn’t tell anyone about it. She’s cute, her body’s big and she was easy to take care of…I liked her.

Source: JapanToday

I’m really dissapointed by the actions of the bus company and the pedophile. These are students with special needs and can’t protect themselves and yet the bus company didn’t want to step in and take any action. The manager and the old men is probably in cahoots or something. >_<

Kudos to the brave bus driver. But too bad cause I forsee he’s gonna lose his job soon.

Home remedies

It's amazing how many traditional cures actually have evidence to support them, says Francesca J. Fusco, M.D., of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Here are seven that have solid research—not just someone's grandma!—behind them.

Zap nail fungus with bleach

Why: "We're not sure why, but there is something in bleach that slows down the growth of nail fungi," says Dr. Fusco.

How: Combine one teaspoon of bleach with one cup of water.

(Note: Always dilute the mixture—applying pure bleach will burn skin.) Then, use a dropper to place this mixture under the affected nail. Repeat twice a day until the infection disappears; this could take up to three weeks.

Prevent blisters on your feet with deodorant

Why: Blisters are caused by skin rubbing against your shoes, and are made worse by sweating. "Deodorant works on your feet just like it does under your arms: It stops sweat glands from producing sweat," says Ranella J. Hirsch, M.D., president of the American Society for Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery.

How: Before heading out, roll deodorant—any kind will do—on your soles.

Soothe burns with tomato

Why: "The tomato contains lycopene, which is a natural anti-inflammatory, so it calms inflamed skin. And the wetness of the tomato juice helps draw some of the liquid out of the burn, reducing swelling," says Dr. Fusco.

How: Slice a large tomato and apply pieces to damaged skin. Leave on for five minutes, then remove, letting the remaining juices fully dry on skin. Once dry, rinse skin with cool water. Repeat twice daily until discomfort ends.

Calm insect bites with aspirin

Why: "Aspirin is made of salicylic acid, a potent anti-inflammatory that can reduce pain and itching," says Dr. Hirsch.

How:

Crush three aspirin and add a few drops of water—enough to make a paste, Dr. Hirsch says. Apply mixture to the bite. Leave on for two minutes, then rinse with cool water. Repeat twice daily until pain and itching stop.

Stop small cuts from bleeding with used tea bags

Why: "The tannic acid in tea has an astringent effect, prompting blood vessels to constrict more quickly, which slows the flow of blood," explains Dr. Fusco.

How: Using light pressure, hold a cool (not warm) tea bag against the cut for one minute. Rinse, then cover with a bandage.

Remove warts with duct tape

Why: Experts at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., found this remedy could clear warts in two months. There are a few theories about how it works. One is that duct tape irritates warts, causing an immune system reaction that attacks them. "Another is that the tape removes the virus-laden skin cells," says Anthony Mancini, M.D., professor of dermatology at Northwestern University.

How: Apply a piece of tape that's the same size as the wart and leave on for six days. (If tape falls off, replace ASAP.) Remove tape after the six days and clean area with soap and water; leave tape off overnight. In the morning, reapply tape, keep on for five days and repeat until wart disappears. It may take up to two months, says Dr. Mancini, but it's less painful and less expensive than repeated doctor visits.

Nix dandruff with apple cider vinegar

Why: "The vinegar's acidity reduces the natural pH of the scalp," explains Dr. Fusco. "And this creates an unfriendly environment for yeast that tend to overpopulate the head and cause dandruff."

How: Mix 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar with one quart of water and use as a final rinse after shampooing, twice weekly.

Hitch-hiking in Japan

Do's and don'ts when you hitch in the backside of Japan

By PERRIN LINDELAUF

Special to The Japan Times

Backpack: check. Thumbs: check. Sense of adventure: check.

Have thumb, will travel: Having carefully chosen a spot that's both legal and also gives drivers plenty of chance to weigh him up and then stop safely, the author waits for the usually short time it takes to get the next lift in hitchhiking-friendly provincial Japan. PERRIN LINDELAUF

That's about all you need to hitchhike in the wide-open countryside of Ura-Nihon (the Backside of Japan).

The slightly derogatory term Ura-Nihon is used by Japan's urbanites to describe the quiet prefectures of Tottori, Shimane and Yamaguchi. Here on this page, though, I can share a secret with you: It's a hitchhiker's paradise.

But why hitchhike when Japan's extensive rail network is very fast and its bus companies have cheap fares for those on tight budgets?

For an initial answer, I can cite the fact that several years ago I bought Will Ferguson's "Hitchhiker's Guide to Japan." It tells of legions of English teachers crossing the nation in thumbing rallies, and independent travelers being picked up by kindly drivers, shown all the local sights, and treated with the immense hospitality that can only be found in slower-paced, rural areas of Japan.

That was all in the mid 1990s.

Now, as I am planning a long stint of travel through continental Asia, I set out to test a simple hypothesis: Is it still possible to hitchhike long distances in Japan, meet wonderful people, be safe, have fun — and do it all for less money and time than you'd spend on a bus or a train?

Specifically, I would attempt to travel from Tottori City to Yamaguchi's Shimonoseki City at the southwestern end of Honshu, but if it didn't work out, the train would be my safety net.

The first problem that arises when you decide to hitchhike here is permission.

"Hitchhike?!" say your Japanese acquaintances. "Impossible. Japanese don't hitchhike."

Don't listen to this. It is certainly true that Japanese people generally don't travel by thumb, but this is to the benefit of a foreign visitor. A slightly lost-looking foreign traveler standing on the side of the road in a region totally devoid of non-Japanese is both extremely interesting and cause for concern. So, when you are picked up, it will be out of compassion or fascination.

Hitchhiking is actually so uncommon in Japan that there are no laws specifically governing it. According to the Road Traffic Law, it is illegal to interfere with traffic, or to walk on an expressway, but as long as you aren't inconveniencing vehicles or causing them to stop in no-parking zones, you should be in the clear. Ferguson does note though that trying to hitchhike in front of a police box is just stupid. They'll tell you to scram.

The second problem is misinformation.

"Hitchhike to Shimonoseki? Well you'd want to take the expressway. Don't take country roads. No one goes there."

Your concerned, but inexperienced friends, are thinking of the fastest routes with the most traffic: This is not for you.

It is very difficult for cars to stop in the proximity of expressway ramps because of the traffic's high speed and a lack of places to pull over. The ideal place to catch a lift, according to Ferguson's book, is on a main or secondary highway through the countryside, on the outskirts of a town, where the visibility is good, traffic is a little thin and speeds are moderate. You need to give your driver enough time to decide to pick you up and pull over without incommoding other road users. In short, when you start to see rice fields, you are entering good hitchhiking territory.

Ferguson makes special note of appearance. Men should appear clean and respectable, preferably clean shaven. Women should dress conservatively, to avoid giving the wrong impression to the wrong kind of driver. Let me be clear though: Solo women should not hitchhike. Japan is safe, but not that safe, unfortunately.

His book reports that couples and pairs of women have hitchhiked successfully, but it is always best to exercise caution before getting into a car.

With this information in mind and a map in hand, I caught the bus from the urban sprawl of Kyoto to Tottori, where I would meet a friend and begin my hitchhiking experiment.

Tottori is a strangely beautiful prefecture: Its coast is lined by the dramatic cliffs of the San-in National Park, which once harbored pirates who roamed the present-day Sea of Japan, and the massive sand dunes on the edge of the city to which people flock to pose with a camel, enjoy the beach in summer, or even practice hang-gliding from their lofty heights. The whole area has a desert coast atmosphere reminiscent of the dry coastlines of California or Morocco, and my chosen hitching highway, Route 9, ran right along these beautiful oceanside locales.

Enter a third (non) problem: A friend or an unknown friend of a friend says as you begin to stick out your thumb: "Hitchhiking? Don't do that, I'll take you."

"OK . . . thanks for the lift," you reply.

So, before I even had chance to extend my thumb hopefully toward oncoming vehicles, I had a ride from Tottori an hour west to Yonago with my old university friend — because we were having difficulty saying goodbye.

Arriving there, I found Yonago is a quiet port town: It and nearby Sakai Minato are mainly known in connection with Shigeru Mizuki, creator of the monster-filled "Gegege no Kitaro" manga series that is enjoying a revival in print and film these days. The spot I chose to start hitching in earnest seemed ideal: space to pull over, and with a slight curve providing good visibility and traffic slowed by a intersection just ahead. I waved goodbye to my friend and, having set my stopwatch, put on a big, friendly smile and stuck out my thumb.

Precisely 1 min. 57 secs later I had my first ride. It was from a middle-aged man in a business shirt driving a white sedan. Before jumping in, I gave a little bow as the guy rolled down the window and thanked him for stopping. "Doko made? (where to?)" he asked. "I'm planning to go to Oda City today," I replied, "but toward Matsue is fine." He was headed that way for work, so I jumped in and launched into an awkward conversation.

I should warn that without small-talk- level Japanese proficiency, there isn't much point in hitchhiking. I broke out my best English-teacher conversation starters and muddled through a social situation of which neither of us had much experience. He was from the Oki archipelago, an almost totally unvisited cluster of islands off the coast of Shimane Prefecture, where I had had one of my first hitchhiking experiences.

On that occasion — during Golden Week 2008 — I'd been in the tourism office of Nishi-no-shima (West Island) asking about buses headed toward Japan's tallest sea cliffs, when an older woman broke in: "Why don't I take you? I'm bad at driving, but if you don't mind granny driving . . . "

She took me to the western end of the island, where I hopped on a tour boat that braved stormy seas to visit the cliffs, which towered so high as to disappear in the dark clouds above.

Actually, I wished I could go back there, but we flew past Matsue and its ferry terminal. Then, after a half-hour ride, I was waiting for my second lift just outside of Matsue. I was only there 5 minutes before a kindly old man in a Toyota Prius pulled over. It was almost lunch, so conversation started with the virtues of the Matsue region's cuisine and its unusual lake, Shinji-ko.

"Shinji-ko's waters are a mix of salty seawater and fresh river water, so many people think it's fish are quite delicious," said my host. There followed a list of fish and shellfish names that I had no chance to absorb, but to prove his point, he took me to lunch!

After being treated to some local fish at a busy cafeteria, I was dropped off with a can of coffee as a parting gift on a long, clear stretch of a Route 9 bypass in Izumo City. There was room to pull over, so I proffered my thumb. Ten minutes, 20 minutes; the cars roared by and few people even looked my way. I was stuck.

Japan on a Budget

Cheapskate Confessions: Japan on a Budget

It’s no secret that Japan is an expensive destination.

In fact, Tokyo has recently reclaimed its spot as the world’s most expensive city, with Osaka-Kobe right behind, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey.

Well even in one of the world’s most expensive countries, a vacation doesn’t have to bring on budgetary meltdown.

We’ll show you how to defy the naysayers and survive your trip to Japan with a few extra bucks left in your wallet.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Before you can even worry about where you’re going to eat or sleep, you’ve got to buy a plane ticket.

Luckily, if you know where to look, you can get one pretty cheaply. How cheap? Well, during the off season — for example, in March or April — prices frequently dip below $500. The secret is to use a Japanese travel agency.

Since these agencies buy tickets in bulk, their prices can be significantly cheaper than Orbitz or Expedia or other travel companies that don’t have a specific regional focus. These companies don’t devote much effort to advertising themselves in English, so few people know about the deals they offer.

Prices offered by different travel agencies can vary significantly, so if you’re truly devoted to truly cheap cheapness, we recommend that you proceed through the list below and obtain a quote from each and every agency before purchasing your ticket. Remember that you can always call the agency up and speak to them in English.

Ticket Scout Japan

Professional Travel Manager/Ticket Scout

ticketscoutjapan@gmail.com

Amnet
(800) 929-2663
http://www.amnet-usa.com (Japanese)

HIS USA
(800) ASK-4-HIS
http://his-usa.com/ja/top/Top.aspx (Japanese)

IACE Travel USA
(800) 872-4223
http://www.iace-usa.com/index_us.htm (English version)

JTB USA
(800) 235-3523
http://www.jtbusa.com/enhome (English version)

Kintetsu International
(630) 250-8840
http://www.kintetsu.com (English)

NaviTour USA
(800) 303-2006
http://www.navitourusa.com/en/s.phtml (English)

One last note: international travel specialists like San Francisco-based Air Brokers (http://www.airbrokers.com) can sometimes beat the prices of even the Japanese travel agencies!

EAT CHEAP

It’s true that Japan is the land of $8 orange juice and $50 cantaloupe, and that food and drinks can be really expensive if you just go stumbling into any old place and blindly order items. But there are some ways to get a cheap meal in Japan…

Our first suggestion is to search out Japanese fast food chains like Matsuya and Yoshinoya. These places will serve you a beef bowl or a plate of curry for $4-$5. If you get tired of this fare, try convenience stores, which offer ready-made food of all kinds for decent prices.

If you’re looking for something with a bit more culinary merit, try a kaitenzushi, a sushi restaurant where the food comes around to you on a conveyor belt, served on plates that are color-coded to indicate price. When your wallet is empty, stop eating. Ramen is another inexpensive option, and luckily the restaurant version tastes a lot better than the instant stuff sold in the US.

McDonald’s — a chain as ubiquitous in Japan as in America — is always a good bet for cheap eats, but it’s kind of a cop-out. I mean, having made the long journey to Japan, you wouldn’t even think of settling for a burger and fries, right?

Also note that in most Japanese restaurants, if they bring you any kind of appetizer, you’re going to have to pay for it. If you don’t want it, just say you don’t want it. Or put on an icky face and make frenzied “go away” motions with your hands.

SLEEP CHEAP

In Japan, as in most places, youth hostels are generally the cheapest option. Hostels.com (http://hostels.com) lists several establishments that’ll sell you a bed in Tokyo for less than $20. We hope this outrageous reasonableness comes as a pleasant surprise.

If you can’t or don’t want to stay in a youth hostel, try a business hotel. You should have no problem finding a room for less than $100. Do keep in mind that these places are pretty cramped. Bathrooms, for instance, are often little more than glorified shower stalls.

If you think a business hotel might fit your needs, take a look at Super Hotel’s English-language website (http://www.superhotel.co.jp/en). This chain does everything possible to cut costs, going so far as to eliminate phones in guests’ rooms. Prices vary based on location, but the cost for a room tends to hover right around $50. The English version of the website doesn’t feature all the chain’s locations, but it does list options at popular destinations.

There are plenty of interesting alternative choices.

Assuming you’re not claustrophobic, you might want to try a capsule hotel. Popular with drunken businessmen who’ve missed the last train, capsule hotels will offer you a space barely big enough to wriggle into, but they are inexpensive.

Capsule hotels probably aren’t a good option for couples or families, since the environment isn’t suitable for kids and many don’t allow women. But if it works for you, expect to pay just about $30 a night.

Alternately, you could stay overnight at a love hotel. These are intended for couples in need of an hour or two of private time, but they offer nightly rates which can be significantly lower than those of regular hotels.

Love hotels list rates for “rest” and “stay.” The “rest” rate is the per-hour rate and the “stay” rate is for the full night.

A significant upshot to this choice is that these places are overflowing with, er, character. We’re talking heart-shaped beds and TV with all the channels. “Stay” rates average about $50.

If your luggage is light and you’re truly into pinching pennies, you could also spend the night at an internet/manga cafe, where you pay one flat fee to use the computer and read comics over a cup of tea for a fixed amount of time. Nobody’s going to think you’re weird if you do this.

Many of these places actually offer overnight packages, which can run as low as $10. Typically, you’ll get your own little cubicle with a reclining chair, and if you’re lucky, the place might even have a shower.

CHEAP TRANSPORTATION

Our first tip is to never even think about using a taxi. Banish the thought from your mind.

A taxi ride from Tokyo’s Narita airport into the city costs approximately $160 and takes about two hours. By contrast, a ticket on a non-express train costs $10-$12 and takes around an hour and a half. Now, in many other cities around the world, public transportation often isn’t the most pleasant or most efficient way to get around, but Japanese trains run on time, are very clean and go just about everywhere you want them to.

At most stations, you’ll buy your tickets from a machine that can display instructions in English. The only thing that’s annoying about relying on trains is that they generally stop running between midnight and 1:00 a.m. Taxis prowl the streets looking for those who’ve missed the cutoff.

If your travel plans involve flitting around from city to city, you might save some money by purchasing a Japan Rail Pass (http://www.japanrailpass.net). Japan Rail, or JR, operates the majority of the rail lines in the country and can take you just about anywhere you want to go. Passes are sold in 7-day, 14-day, and 21-day increments. The nice thing is that the Japan Rail Pass is eligible for travel about the “shinkansen,” or bullet train, a super-fast, fun, and all-around really neat form of transportation that is ordinarily rather expensive. A 7-day Japan Rail Pass runs about $350. The pass is not sold in Japan, so you’ll need to pick one up before arriving there.

If you happen to be traveling to Japan during a school holiday, consider buying a seishun juhachi kippu (”18-year-old youth’s ticket”), a super-cheap, all-you-can-ride train pass. The passes are only available for purchase during school holidays (ie- they go on sale just before vacation starts, but most likely won’t be available at the very end of the vacation period).

The passes are only valid on JR’s slower trains. Despite the name, anybody can use a seishun juhachi kippu, and they are available for purchase at most JR stations. Each seishun juhachi kippu gives you five days of unlimited travel and costs about $100. Two or more people can use one ticket on the same day. For your reference, the school vacation schedule in Japan is roughly as follows:

March 1 - April 10
July 20 - September 10
December 10 - January 20

We’ll throw out one more option for those looking to travel long distances: the glorious overnight bus, a transport institution known and loved by Japan’s young and penniless. Overnight buses are uncomfortable and cramped but cheap. A trip from Tokyo to Osaka will set you back about $80, which is definitely less expensive than a trip by plane or shinkansen.

Japan Bus Web (http://www.bus.or.jp/e/index.html) operates a large English database chock full of detailed bus info.

OTHER STUFF

So you’ve probably got all kinds of ideas about stuff you want to do once you get to Japan. Unavoidably, most of that stuff is going to cost money. But don’t forget that people-watching can be an enjoyable–and completely free–activity. Great places to do this include Shibuya and Harajuku in Tokyo and America-mura in Osaka. Japan is full of colorful and crazy fashions and just sitting on the sidelines and watching the crowd can be pretty entertaining.

You might think about working some hiking and/or camping into your schedule. These activities are fun, provide you with opportunities to meet local people, and are cheap to boot. Check out Outdoor Japan (http://www.outdoorjapan.com) for some information on outdoor activities. And remember… it’s completely free to climb Mt. Fuji. Just remember to take your own drinks and snacks, since those sold onsite are way overpriced.

One final tip that may shave a few bucks off the total cost of your trip: although many people consider travelers’ checks an anachronism now that ATMs are so widespread, bringing traveler’s checks to Japan will net you a slightly better exchange rate. If you can get the traveler’s checks for free, you’ll save a little money in the end.

YOU CAN DO IT

Anybody who told you it couldn’t be done was just saying it to make themselves feel better. Cheap travel in Japan isn’t an impossibility. It takes dedication and planning and maybe a little self-deprivation, but in the end, returning home from such an ultra-expensive country with some change to spare is a pretty good feeling.

The type of guy I like....

細マッチョ (Hoso Macho) became quite a buzzword in Tokyo these days due to the Suntory Protein Water commercial. It’s used to describe a guy who is slim and well toned. Well, you can see examples in the commercial. The morning show today did a little feature on the word. They went out and asked Japanese girls if they preferred Gori Macho (ゴリマッチョ) or Hoso Macho. Most preferred Hoso Macho. Are you Hoso Macho? ^^.

Online tickets/events

http://www.eventbrite.com

Tokyo Unique Travel Places

Off the Brochure: Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is a massive, hyper-modern metropolis with a million and one things to do, and reams of articles could be written about it.

In fact, entire guide books could be written about stuff that isn’t in the guide books. But we’ve got a few experiences that you’re unlikely to stumble across while you’re reading a brochure.

And remember, when in Tokyo, be sure to do some exploring on your own. It’ll be worth it.

Ramen Museum

What? A museum dedicated to ramen? If all you’ve ever eaten is the pre-packaged version sold in the U.S., we’re sure you’ll question the sanity of this idea, but ramen is an art form in Japan and this museum treats it that way.

OK, so maybe the displays on matchbooks and curtains from ramen shops are a bit silly. However, the theme park inside the museum, which replicates a street scene from 1958 and includes a whole bunch of shops serving various regional ramen variations, is undeniably cool. Our sources tell us that this isn’t the best ramen in Japan, but the concept is interesting enough to deserve attention.

The ramen museum (its full name in Japanese is Shin-Yokohama Ramen Hakubutsukan) is located close to the Japan Rail Shin-Yokohama station. Admission is 300 yen. Unfortunately, a bowl of ramen is not included in the price.

Kirin Factory

If you know Japanese beer, you know Kirin, but did you know that you can take a tour of the factory? They’ll show you how the beer is made and then let you taste it for free. You can’t beat that. The tour lasts about an hour, and reservations are required. Note that the tour is conducted only in Japanese, but we believe beer transcends language. The factory is located near Namamugi station in Yokohama.

Ghibli Museum

If you’re an anime fan, a visit to the Ghibli Museum is a must, but even if you’re not, you’ll still enjoy this mazelike, interactive house of wonders dedicated to the works of Studio Ghibli, responsible for Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro, among other titles.

Inside the museum, you’ll find a mock-up anime studio and exhibits related to many of Studio Ghibli’s films. The exhibits really aren’t the most interesting part of the museum, though. There is no fixed route through the structure and visitors are encouraged to explore its spiral staircases, causeways, ledges, bridges, and twisting, narrow halls. Plants grow from the outside walls of the building and a giant robot stands tall atop it.

The Ghibli Museum is located in Mitaka (go to Mitaka station on the Chuo line). Note that tickets must be purchased in advance. The travel agency JTB (http://www.jtbusa.com/enhome/) would be glad to sell you one.

What Kind of Otaku Are You?

Hardcore anime and manga fans already know what the term “otaku” means. The closest English equivalent is “fanboy.” The word refers to somebody who’s so deeply burrowed into a particular niche, be it stamp collecting, video games, toy trains, whatever, that he or she fails to lead more than perfunctory existence in the real world.

Akihabara, Japan’s main electronics district, is known as the computer/video game otaku capital of the Planet Earth. Akihabara’s main drag is essentially a huge heap of electronics shops and nearly nothing else. Akihabara is a cool place to visit, but it’s definitely on the brochure because tourists like to go there to buy cameras.

Here are a few other places with shops catering to a particular niche that are less likely to pop up in your guidebook. These sorts of districts are part of what makes Tokyo unique, and there are a number of them to be explored.

Jinbocho is to used books what Akihabara is to electronics. If stacks of musty old paperbacks really make your day, you must go there. You’ll find book upon book in shop after cluttered, dusty shop. Don’t look for this place in Lonely Planet – just hop on the subway and make your way to Jinbocho station if you’re interested in checking it out.

Ochanomizu is to the guitar what Jinbocho is to used books. There, you’ll find what must be the world’s densest collection of guitar shops. There are stacks of Fenders and loads of Les Pauls. You won’t find any Japanese traditional instruments there, and you won’t find any violins or any oboes, just guitars.

Okay, there might be some drums, basses, and keyboards hanging around as well. Once again, if you’re interested in checking it out, just make your way to Japan Rail’s Ochanomizu station. The guitar shops are easy to find. Just follow the young guys with purple hair.

If you get excited by the idea of a couple hours spent wandering through William-Sonoma, visit Kappa Street, also known as “Kitchen Town.” The street is lined with stores selling all kinds of kitchen wares– this is where the restaurants of Tokyo get their supplies. You can find deals on unique pottery, plates, teacups and sake sets, as well as bring home a Japanese vegetable knife, or usuba hocho. These knives can be difficult to find in the U.S., but a medium to good quality knife on Kappa Street can run from $40-$100.

There are even whole districts devoted to particular foods – for instance, Tsukishima, which is known for its overwhelming multitude of monjayaki shops. Monjayaki is a Tokyo specialty that somewhat resembles the more popularly known okonomiyaki. It is essentially a type of pancake/omelet which is cooked in front of you on a griddle. There are truly a mass of monjayaki outlets in Tsukishima, a district of the city built on a man-made island. Just get off the train at Tsukishima station and follow your nose.

Fun at Yoyogi

Tokyo’s locals tend to be quiet and reserved, perhaps by necessity (do you really want to have a conversation with the person whose elbow is digging into your spine on a rush hour train that’s crammed to the gills?). If you want to see them cutting loose, go to Yoyogi Park, located near the fashion district of Harajuku, on a Sunday.

You’ll find drum circles, people dancing, punk bands blasting out loud music, and so on. Just about anything crazy that anyone has ever done on a city street is acted out there each week. It is truly something to see.

Yunessun and Mori No Yu

If you’re ready for a respite from Tokyo’s pulsing neon and bustling crowds, take a day trip to the much smaller and quieter city of Hakone, which is about an hour and a half by train from Tokyo. Why visit Hakone?

Well, there are tons and tons of onsen (hot springs) there. Often, an onsen is a place where people bathe together nude in very hot water, but if the idea of getting naked with strangers makes you a tad uncomfortable, don’t worry. Hakone’s Yunessun is an onsen theme park which is mostly nudity-free, and a number of the baths there are very unique. For instance, there’s a Dead Sea spa with a sodium content so high you’ll float, a sake spa which we think probably won’t intoxicate you (but no promises), a green tea spa, and so on.

If you don’t mind shedding your skivvies, that kind of hot spring is also available at the nearby Mori No Yu facility, which is dedicated to outdoor baths in beautiful settings. Admission to Yunessun alone is 3500 yen; Mori No Yu alone is 1800 yen; both together will run you 4000 yen.

There’s a hotel onsite if you feel like making this more than just a day trip. Since the location is a bit out of the way, we recommend following the directions on the Web site (http://www.yunessun.com/english/index.html).

Rush Hour

If you want to have a truly authentic Tokyo experience, try riding a train at rush hour. Maybe you’ll even meet with one of those guys in white gloves who comes around to push the flailing mass of people into the train so the door can close! Go between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. for the optimum rush hour experience. The Saikyo, Keio, and Chuo lines are highly recommended.

Finding Free and Budget Activities in Expensive Japan

Japan is notable for its modern antiquity, bustling city life, and enough florescent lights to give any traveler’s eyes a workout.

But with the current economic climate, the Land of the Rising Sun might also be confused with the Land of the Rising Budget, especially for travelers.

However, there are plenty of activities in Japan that are affordable—and even free—meaning you can cover a great deal of territory even on a tiny budget.

TOKYO

Each neighborhood in Tokyo has its own distinct appeal, plus dozens of free and cheap activities, so no one could ever dare complain that the city is boring. Tiring, yes—but never boring.

Though it’s incredibly touristy, stopping into a Japanese temple should still be at the top of your list of things to do. Senso-ji Temple, located in the Asakusa neighborhood, allows you to absorb Japanese culture while also experiencing the craziness of urban Tokyo life.

The main pathway leading up to the temple is lined with little shops that sell everything from rice cakes to key chains to samurai swords. The crowds can be a bit overwhelming, but if you just keep moving, you’ll be fine. It’s worth the effort to see the temple and the second tallest pagoda in Japan, which stands nearby. Best of all, both sites are free, which means you can save your money for more important things—like the sake set you’ve been eyeing since you entered the temple grounds.

Near Asakusa is Ueno Park, which is home to several temples, a museum and an art gallery. A stroll through this park provides a respite from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, but still allows visitors to see some important sights. Cherry trees are abundant here, with blossoms reaching their peak in early April.

Although it’s definitely “on the brochure,” take some time to visit Tokyo Tower (modeled after the Eiffel Tower) just before dusk, where a ticket to the top earns you two spectacular views: the Tokyo skyline at sunset, followed by the city at night. On clear days, you can see the sunlight dancing upon Mount Fuji’s silhouette in the distance. www.tokyotower.co.jp/english

Your inner geek will emerge at Akihibara Electronic Town, a gadget-lovers paradise that’ll whet your appetite for anything with a “play” button. It might even make you rethink your budget, since prices here are pretty reasonable. In addition, many of the items at Akihibara won’t show up in the States for at least a year, thus giving you bragging rights to your friends back home. The area is also packed with toy stores that cater to the 7-year-old inside us all. www.akiba.or.jp/english

Seasoned travelers know about the Tsukiji Central Fish Market, and often make a point of dragging their friends at 5 a.m to this boisterous wholesale auction market where local merchants and restaurateurs compete to get the freshest and most desirable catch of the day. Yes, it can be a challenge to convince someone to get up that early to watch fish being sold, but it’s one of the better Tokyo experiences.

Don’t miss more tips with Cheapskate Confessions: Japan on a Budget

Fishmongers shout out prices and throw seafood around while visitors simply look on (and duck). Everything from giant tuna to baby octopus is available there—and don’t forget to enjoy some of the freshest sushi you will ever eat before heading back to your hotel for a mid-morning nap. Visitors are welcome, but remember to be respectful. The government only recently lifted a tourist ban, which was a result of some previously inconsiderate foreign visitors. www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm

Depending on your time frame, consider a quick day trip to the small city of Gotemba. Located at the foot of Mount Fuji, Gotemba and the surrounding area can be reached by the Shinkansen high-speed train in about an hour and a half. Once you get off the train at Gotemba, hop on one of the buses that continually run up to any one of the volcano’s “fifth stations.”

During climbing season (July–August) travelers can summit Mount Fuji via a number of different ascent routes on all sides of the volcano. The last stop accessible by road on these ascents is called the fifth station, which acts as a sort of base camp and is a great starting point for a mountain climb. While no climbing experience is needed to summi Mt. Fuji, you should be in good shape and definitely participate in a guided excursion. Most climbers begin their journey in the dead of night so that they are able to watch the sunrise at the summit. www.city.gotemba.shizuoka.jp/indexe.html

KYOTO

After the fast pace and sheer size of Tokyo, a few days in Kyoto might help you unwind and catch your breath. Don’t be misled, though—Kyoto is a vibrant city in its own right, but the focus remains on temples and shrines, most of which are free (leaving more money for sushi!).

Instead of heading straight to your lodging after arriving at Kyoto Station, put your luggage in storage and take some time to admire the station. In stark contrast with the more antiquated architecture of the rest of the city, Kyoto Station is a modernist attraction in and of itself.

You can walk along the glass corridor (located on the 11th floor), grab a bite to eat at Ramen Koji (seven Ramen restaurants located on the 10th floor), shop at Isetan Department Store, or simply wander around taking in impressive views of Kyoto Tower, located just across the street. www.kyoto-station-building.co.jp/index.htm (in Japanese)

Then walk on over to Kyoto Tower—the views are less dramatic than those of Tokyo Tower, but it’s an easy way to familiarize yourself with the city’s landscape.

About 100 meters from the tower you’ll find Higashi Hongan-ji, one of Kyoto’s larger temples. After wandering the temple grounds, take your shoes off and explore the interior. Don’t miss the coil of rope made of human hair, once used to lift large beams for the construction of the temple. http://kyoto-tower.co.jp/kyototower/index.html (in Japanese)

Less than 30 minutes from Kyoto and a must for anyone appreciative of Japanese culture is Fushimi Inari Taisha, or what one might call “Land of the Many Red Gates.”

Thousands of torii (shrine gates) line the pathways that lead up to various shrines within this breathtaking complex, and fox statues known as inari are ubiquitous throughout. (The fox is considered a messenger of the Shinto god, Inari.) It is about a 2.5-mile walk to the top, but only a half-day is needed here. The shrine might seem familiar to some as it inspired artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates” exhibition in New York’s Central Park displayed in February 2005. http://inari.jp (in Japanese)

Kyoto’s subways and JapanRail lines are not as convenient as Tokyo’s for getting where you want to go. It’s easier to buy a one-day bus pass for Y500. In fact, as long as you use the bus more than three times in any given day, it will generally pay for itself. Traffic is not too bad either, and it beats walking some of the longer distances.

HIROSHIMA

About three hours by Shinkansen from Kyoto is Hiroshima. It is an unmistakably small city, but the huge atrocities that occurred there—and the insights that they led to—make it an important stop on anyone’s itinerary.

Given the historical context of the city, the main focus lies on the Peace Memorial Park, which is home to the A-bomb Dome (another UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Peace Memorial Museum, and the Flame of Peace. The floodlights that surround the A-bomb Dome at night give a hauntingly beautiful quality to the skeleton of a building that serves as both a reminder of and a memorial to the effects of war. A nighttime walk through the park allows you to absorb the park’s beauty without the constant flash or click of tourists’ cameras.

Within the park is the Peace Bell, which visitors can ring if they so desire. There’s an image of an atom at the exact spot where the clapper hits the side of the bell, which symbolizes the repeated striking of an atom. The Flame of Peace (below, photo credit: Scott Frentrop) has been burning since 1964 and will continue to do so until all nuclear weapons around the world are destroyed.

Lastly, there is the Peace Memorial Museum which documents the events leading up to, during, and after the bombing of Hiroshima. The park and everything included is open to the public for no charge, but the museum costs around Y50. www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp

Outside of Hiroshima is Miyajima island, home to the Itsukushima Shrine, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors may recognize the famous torii (gate) which seems to float on top of the water on which this Shinto monument is built. On a clear day, the view of the gate is remarkable, but it is best to go when the tide is high to get the full floating effect.

The island can be reached via a ferry that is also considered part of the JR line. Be sure to spend time with the native deer, which enjoy the human interaction. Entrance to the shrine will cost you a few hundred yen, but you can still enjoy the floating torii without having to enter the actual temple. whc.unesco.org/en/list/776

FUKUOKA

In the south of Japan is Fukuoka, a large port city that also has many shrines as well as modern buildings. Like Tokyo and Kyoto, the city has its own tower, Fukuoka Tower. So if you’re attempting to hit several of Japan’s modern peaks while you’re visiting the country, this one standing at 758 feet should be on your list. www.fukuokatower.co.jp/english/index.html

Canal City is a huge shopping complex with an artificial canal that runs right through the middle of it. Stores within the complex cater to fine tastes as well as more pedestrian necessities. There are stores which will amuse both children and adults, including one devoted entirely to the Japanese superhero Ultraman. While the canal is a unique aspect of this shopping complex, it’s rather small and you won’t get a free ride. www.canalcity.co.jp/world/english/urban.html

At night, Fukuoka really comes to life, especially in the Tenjin and Nakasu areas where yatais (street food stalls) open and hordes of people head out to eat. For a fair price, you can dine on ramen, yakitori, and warm sake while making conversation with the cook or other locals.

Like most other cities in Japan, there are several temples spread throughout Fukuoka. Given its proximity to Canal City and the Tenjin area, Tochoji Temple is worth a look.

Inside you’ll find the country’s largest wooden Buddha (photo credit: Scott Frentrop), a monument whose massiveness seems to intensify when you actually see it. If you visit Tochoji during the calendar New Year, you can sound any number of temple bells and literally “ring in” the New Year.

GETTING THERE AND GETTING AROUND

The first and most important thing is the flight to Japan. If you’re coming from the States, the most affordable flights can often be found through Japanese travel agencies.

If you’re already in Asia, check out local travel agencies in whatever country you’re in. Avoid sites like Expedia or Travelocity as they may not be privy to the flight deals and bargains that Asian agencies often have, which may run a few hundred dollars cheaper.

If you’re aiming to cover a significant amount of ground within Japan and will primarily be traveling by train, purchasing a Japan Rail Pass (www.japanrailpass.net) will save you both time and money compared to the cost of buying individual point-to-point tickets. A single ticket to one city can often cost two-thirds of the price of an entire JR Pass. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, make sure you buy one before you arrive in Japan, since JR passes are not available once you’re in the country.

LODGING

If you want to save money, staying in a hostel is the cheapest option. However, travelers looking for a little more comfort might want to consider a one-night stay in a typical Japanese guesthouse, or ryokan. In ryokan you get a small room with tatami-matted floors, a futon, kimonos, tea, and other amenities.

Due to the location and ambiance of ryokan, you’ll truly feel like you are part of Japanese culture. Prices are usually around $100 for one room, but a night’s accommodation can range from $40 for a modest ryokan to $250 for a more luxurious one. Unlike hostels, ryokan are much smaller and tend to book up quickly.