Japanese Girl and Boy bands, and what's the deal there?

So, you know today's pop music, perhaps more than ever before (let's be honest this is always an ongoing criticism) has become homogenised and samey? Well, here in Japan they have seriously taken that to another level, and quite frankly, it's a worry.

Yep. AKB48.

Sure, I've talked about AKB48 before, and for those outside Japan that may be the one primary example they know of. AKB48 is a group that supposedly originated in Akihabara in Tokyo. Every year there's a TV show and some members depart and others are brought in in basically the typical 'reality' TV style voting show over many weeks with performances and the like.
The group is divided into different teams who work together to produce songs and often one singer is chosen to be featured as the main singer for a song, and they keep churning out hits. Then there are concerts which presumably feature all the teams and girls and they all have to look extremely cute and sing a bunch of songs that, in all fairness, sound like they were written to underscore a commercial.
Sigh.

Cardboard cutout at Tower Records.

Kawaii! Supergirls!

It's a serious industry here, and my last visit to Tokyo I as usual visited Tower Records in Shibuya where I started to realise that there weren't three or four girl groups dressed like teenagers being cute and singing lollypop music, there were DOZENS. I saw CDs of groups such as Supergirls, that's 10 girls selected by mass audition again to sing commercial music, wear bright colours and look cute in a slightly sexualised way. Other groups that are popular are 'Perfume', and 'E-girls', which my students sometimes mention in class. E-girls seems to be made of 20-30 girls, split into three sub-groups called 'Flower' (I think I saw a CD for 'Flower') 'Happiness' and 'Dream'. And this is the way apparently girls want to be seen in Japan. As young and cute. Do you ever see a female singer, in a group or solo, actually be marketed as a 'woman'? No.
And so draw what conclusions you may from that. All-in-all Wiki lists 134 girl groups in Japan. There must be more.

The boys of exile.

And then there are boybands. Arashi, SMAP, Exile, Hey Say JUMP! and Sexy Zone to name a few. Ok, not so many - wiki lists a mere 34. But they are even more popular and they are a true carbon copy of the boy bands the west knows, reaching back to the 80s with New Kids on the Block. They wished everyone a Merry Christmas bizarrely with a host of Christmas albums available from Tower Records to 7Eleven! They dress up all Christmassy (in a country that believes Christmas Cake is sponge cake with cream and calls Santa Claus Santa-san) looking straight and serious at the camera.

Arashi in the Christmas spirit! 

It's seriously, overwhelming sickening. Look at this people in America, UK, Australia, heck all of Europe. This is the future of music. Everything is manufactured and nothing appears to come from the artists. No, you can't call the girls of AKB48 artists, they are the 'talent'. The managers here clearly see a used-by date for the girls especially, and that's early 20s. Not to mention that they are expected to be model citizens and if they are caught making some sort of discretion in public, like maybe having a drink too many, they will be forced to apologise to the entire nation and could be kicked out of the group. Boys and again, especially the girls. In fact, the girls from AKB48 are not allowed to date!
One girl - Minegishi Minami, was caught going into a boys apart. So distraught at being caught she shaved her head in penance! No, I don't think it's very healthy either! 

Think of their lives AFTER the fame is done with. What are they going to do? I don't know how many members they have had in total in AKB48, but maybe 100, maybe more. What's the future there? A 40-year old Maede Astuko? What will she be doing? Who will remember her? Maybe there's a spot on the end Japanese discussion panel shows they have for one or two, but those shows are 80% men, and 5-10% transvestite and usually the females members are young cute things.

Of the hundreds if not more girls in Japanese girl-bands today, how many of them could still be in the industry in 10 years? I'd say 5% if they are lucky. Many people think J-pop is strange and interesting, it's kinda fun like Eurovision. But when you stop and think about the reality of the industry here, you can't help but think of the people exploited as talent are in for a tough life once their 15 minutes has gone.







Mirrored at THIS page.

Top Ten Destination Number Four - Laos

Main street of Luang Prabang

Golden Stupa in Vientiane

Moving back to Asia, number four in my top ten of countries I’ve visited is Laos. My favourite country in South East Asia without a doubt, Laos has a little something for everyone except for perhaps the shopaholic. Nestled between China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma, Laos is not the most frequently visited country in the region, but that suits visitors to Laos just fine. Laos is a relaxing and slower-paced change for those coming from Thailand and Vietnam in particular, it’s a bit cooler and dryer, it provides the visitor with plenty to see and do, some good food, and a welcoming smile. In short, Laos the perfect getaway!

The capital, Vientiane, although not the most exciting of capitals, has a mixture of French-colonial old world charm mixed with temples and wide boulevards. Set on the Mekong, which provides much of Laos’ life, the capital is more of a big provincial town rather than a capital.

Visit and marvel at the Golden Stupa, see the replica of the Arch de Triumph, or stroll the banks of the Mekong at dawn or dusk which makes for a truly beautiful scene (and photo). Vientiane is just over the river from Thailand, and the perfect introduction to Laos.

Vang Vieng

Looking for excitement? Well, you might just find it in Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng has been a tourist Mecca over recent years, and that’s because of the tubing. Unfortunately, this is also the uglier side of Laos tourism. Hundreds if not thousands of young mostly white tourists descending on the town to go ‘tubing’, in itself a perfectly respectable activity involving sitting on a tyre’s tube as you float down the river. However, they lined the river with bars and it became a place to get absolutely trashed and party. On top of that, every year people died because they jumped into the river and hit a rock, or drowned. Tubing was stopped last year after another death, now it may have reopened but in a tamer form.

Having said that, you are not obliged to go tubing, and the area around Vang Vieng is really beautiful with rocky hills, winding rivers and greenery as far as the eye can see. Go hiking or rock climbing, or if it the idea tempts you, hot-air ballooning and you’ll see a different and breath-taking perspective on Vang Vieng.

Craters Restaurant, Phonsovan

I found the most interesting place in Laos Phonsovan. This dusty town is centred in a place which was heavily bombed from around 1964 to 1973 by America, and 30% of the bombs didn’t explode on impact. Today, there are still many out in the area in the fields, which could go off by someone treading on them. MAG is the institution in the area that has taken up the responsibility for removing these unexploded ordinances from the farms and countryside, aided by a team of mostly local volunteers. Visit the MAG centre in town and learn about the work they do.

Plain of Jars

Around Phonsovan, and the main reason tourists head there, is the Plain of Jars. Scattered over three sites are these giant stone jars which date back thousands of years. Their purpose is supposedly a mystery, although most concur that they are graves. It’s a breath-taking and eerie site, although other tourists taking photos make alter the errieness somewhat! I took a tour, which is pretty standard, and there’s no issues from unexploded ordinances if you follow the marked tracks and listen to your guide. The tour takes in a few other sites such as a Russian tank, and you’ll see places decorated with the shells of bombs and the like. For example, back in Phonsovan, Crater’s Restaurant.

Mekong River at Luang Prabang.

Finally, I visited Luang Prabang, a quietly beautiful town on the Mekong heading into the northern part of the country. There are plenty of restaurants and hotels here, but it’s a very relaxing place to go and the perfect place to while away a few days or a week doing very little. Day trips include a boat up the Mekong to visit the Pak Ou caves, taking in an interesting unnamed village on the way, or visiting the Kuang Si waterfalls, which are truly beautiful and a great place to take a swim and escape the heat. It’s like some lagoon in a tropical jungle.

Kuang Si Waterfalls

The town itself has a museum and plenty of temples to keep you busy. There’s a fashion show on some nights, and plenty of night spots if you are so inclined. You may be best advised to avoid the people pushing opium though! The buildings have a colonial air on the main strip, and you can sit at a restaurant on the street and wonder if anyone actually lives in Luang Prabang. Alternatively there are a host of river-side restaurants and at dusk the sunset over the Mekong is as stunning as any sight you’ll see in South-East Asia.

For this traveller, Laos was the perfect South-East Asia getaway. If you are interested in more information, tips and my thoughts on Laos, I have an ebook out on Laos – Short Journeys: Laos, available for kindle now.

Next time… well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it. Stayed tuned as next time we hit the top three, in about a week or so.

The top ten so far:

10 – Slovakia

9 – Romania

8 – Mali

7 – The United Kingdom

6 – Japan

5 - Central Asia

4 - Laos

Melbourne versus Ichinoseki

Today in  Melbourne it hit 42 degrees I believe. Ahhh my hometown. Even 42 I could do right now. Why? Because here in Ichinoseki it:s around minus 8. Yep. That:s a whole 50 degree difference! If you don:t believe me I have a bunch of photos for you today.

Last week whilst having my car serviced I went for a walk around the hills here and found my way up to a lovely little temple. Next to a graveyard and a path into the forest. It wasn't too cold up there, that day, not like this week. I got some nice photos I wanted to share. Coming this weekend - the next in my countdown of my favourite destinations! Watch this space.

PS. Now mirrored on http://worldjourneysdiscover.wordpress.com/

It's not where you're going, it's how you get there.

Today's blog comes from the writing I am presently in the middle of, Short Journeys: Cameroon. 

After writing this description of the journey from Kribi in Cameroon's south to Limbe, north of Douala. It is a true example of what an adventure travel can be in Africa. Although it sounds like a hell of a day, there is something awesome and fun about this sort of adventure.

Or maybe I'm just crazy!

Typical scene when a bus stops in West Africa - from Kribi to Douala.

Getting from Kribi to Limbe

Waiting in Kribi bus station to leave (Centrale Voyages).

There was no direct transport to Limbe, around 170km by road from Kribi, so we needed to go via Douala again. This meant taking the Centrale Voyages bus to Douala and changing there. We ended up taking a share taxi from Douala to Limbe. We arrived at 10am or so at the bus station in Kribi, but it turned out that getting there early was unnecessary as the next available bus was 12.45. Much later than we had wanted and with more than two hours to fill. We couldn’t book the day before, and the timetable at the bus station had a list of buses to Douala, except that 12.45 was not one listed, and others appeared not to be running. Rule One of travelling in Africa – don’t expect things to go as planned, and don’t expect listings to be accurate. You have to be able to go with the flow. At least this allowed an early lunch, and we had boarding tickets (it was a first in, best dressed kind of affair). We would be boarding 5^th and 6^th so only four people on before us.

Dice, footballs, it's all the same.

The journey to Douala was uneventful, but slow. As we entered Douala, everything slowed down to a practical halt. The bus was very full, we had a box right next to our feet with a hole in the top. A chicken popped its head out of the hole frequently, but not when I had my camera ready!

The biggest issue was the bag compartment under the bus. It was full of a lot of different things, bags of vegetables and coolers of fish and meat. They leaked terribly during the bus journey, and when we finally alighted in Douala, well, the bottom parts of our backpacks had been soaked in the fishy water. And yes, now, they did stink. Of fish. Not much we could do though, don’t think we would have been allowed on the holding our bags, and we probably would have had to sit with them on our laps too. It took days of washing in Limbe to get everything cleanish and not too smelly! Ahh, the little adventures along the way of the big adventure that is travelling.

This bus journey was the most memorable one of my time in Cameroon, albeit not all because of good reasons. The TV blared loudly showing at first a movie and then some stand-up by a Cameroonian comedian named ‘Major Asse’. I didn’t understand what he was saying, but he certainly had a very amusing name!

We must have arrived at Centrale Voyages depot at around 5pm or shortly before. The traffic was getting worse. We had to take a taxi to the ‘Gare Routiere’. Basically in French West Africa this is where you go for shared taxis and mini-buses to other locations, it’s the main transport hub of a city or town. When we arrived there we found our way to a share taxi which was basically the same price as the mini-buses. They all leave when full, and taxis move faster and take less people, so it was an easy decision to make.

And then bam! We left the Gare Routiere to Limbe, and hit peak-hour traffic. A complete standstill. It must have taken a couple of hours to get out of Douala. We are talking a distance to Limbe from Douala of around 65km, but boy it took a while, maybe 3 or 4 hours. Less than one once we were out  of the northern Douala suburbs. Once we cleared the traffic we whisked along at a fair old rate. And the best thing – everyone in the taxi got to enjoy the smell of fish emanating from our backpacks in the boot of the car.

It was well and truly night by the time we got to our hotel at around 9pm, and the taxi driver was nice enough to actually drive us to the hotel, which was past the botanical gardens down an old dirt track. In Africa it doesn’t have to be a long journey to be an eventful one!

'Short Journeys: Cameroon' will be released on Amazon Kindle around the end of January/early February. 

Visit the World Journeys website to find out more about my writings!

Website and Twitter

Yes, it seems the 21st Century was on a collision course with me and 'World Journeys' (formerly known as 'The Greater World') and I have created a twitter account.
I don't use a smart phone, so I will be operating twitter from my laptop for now. As I am online a LOT that shouldn't be a big issue! So, if you are so inclined, please find and follow me at:

@WorldJourneys75

That's me!

Also, a new website is up for World Journeys:

http://worldjourneysdiscover.wordpress.com/

So please visit that one too. It will primarily be for my epublished works. Exciting times, exciting times folks!

Rebranding - introducing 'World Journeys'

Howdy folks! If you look above this writing you may notice that after more than seven years, I have changed the name of the blog. Why is that, I hear you ask? Well, I am trying to align all my travel works together. I have – ebooks (the only source of income from my travel writings, which nets me less than 10 dollars a month), the blog, a facebook page (please join/like!),  a webpage – a new one coming to Wordpress as well, and a youtube channel. All hopefully will soon feature the new banner of ‘World Journeys’ (which incidentally I think is a more accurate title for ‘what I do’).

Also coming later in 2014, I hope, will be a ‘World Journeys Podcast’. I am looking at talking to various people for about favourite destinations, travel stories and more. I hope to start uploading around the end of March, but this is very much still just in the pipeline at the moment.

I may even get, shock horror, a twitter account. Amazon Kindle has been a good start for travel publishing. I run a few giveaways a month there and from now on I will be letting people know when something’s for free on the Facebook page (this is where twitter maybe useful too). I’m looking to publish on other platforms as well, looking at Lulu and Payhip to increase my reach. Also, kindle is proving to be very difficult to get paid from! Heading back to Australia too and there’s no good way to get paid in Australia for my publishing sadly.

Anyways that’s the latest from ‘The Greater World’ – now ‘World Journeys’. Tomorrow I promise you a great tale from Cameroon about getting from A to B, African style!

Take care until then

Andrew

Top Ten Countries Number Five - Central Asia

Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty

Yes, I am going to cheat here and instead of specifying a country, I am going to lump ‘Central Asia’ together in my top ten. Technically I already cheated when I included the UK, right? But for me, Central Asia was the ultimate in ‘different’. I visited Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan over six weeks back in May-June 2011 and had a wonderful time. I visited three countries bordering each other with dramatic differences. Beautiful mountains, flat steppe and searing desert.

Kazakhstan is the biggest of the three, in fact it is the 9^th biggest country on Earth. From the cultural Almaty to the mind-blowing capital, Astana, Kazakhstan is full of surprises. Almaty is a wonderful city, the ‘soul’ of Kazakhstan. Wonderful museums and theatre – I went to see traditional dancing there, friendly people, beautiful parks. The Russian influence is unmistakable, but it definitely has a European feel to it. The small but interesting Kazakh Museum of Musical Instruments was an unexpected highlight, where I got to witness a small concert of traditional instruments played. This is in the beautiful Panfilov Park, where stands the impressive and decorative Zenkov Cathedral.

Almaty is surrounded by stunning mountains, I headed up to Medeu one day, a favourite play-area in winter, but also lovely in summer. Kok Tobe is a peak not that far from the middle of town, where bronze statues of the Beatles stand (and sit!), and a cable car takes you up and down the big hill.

Inside Dostoevsky's old digs.

Semey was also a very interesting place. Behind my hotel is a park full of statues of communist figures such as Lenin and Marx. For a time Semey was home to Fyodor Dostoevsky, and today the house in which he lived is a small museum to the great Russian writer. The number one writer in town, in fact all of Kazakhstan is Abay though. This poet was also responsible for translating countless works into the local Kazakh language, and is a national hero.

Palace of Peace and Accord, Astana.

But is he a bigger national hero that Nazabaev, President of Kazakhstan since it became independent of the Soviet Union? Perhaps not. Nazabaev is a man of daring vision, and it was his vision that saw the capital moved from Almaty to the more central Astana. Now Astana is one of the more amazing cities of the world, with countless daring buildings designed by architect Norman Foster. This includes the Palace of Peace and Accord, a giant pyramid inside which are conference halls, a giant atrium and a concert hall, the Byoterek, a 97 metre tall tower resembling an ice cream cone, and the Khan Shatyr, a giant shopping complex enclosed in a tent-like structure, the likes of which you are unlikely to see anywhere else in the world. Come to Astana to be impressed, to be wowed, or even just to wonder ‘why?’ It’s simply an astounding place.

National Museum in Bishkek reminds us of the past.

I headed south from Almaty to Kyrgyzstan. I was now travelling by small mini-buses called marshrutkas for the most part, and every journey was an adventure. The capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, is a really pleasant, smallish city which I liked very much. An interesting museum there revealed that possibly Kyrgyzstan thought that the Soviet Union was still going, but the parks brimmed with a different kind of life, and art. People played table tennis on outdoor tables whilst others took wedding photos by fountains. In the evening, for a dollar or two, I saw an opera in town. Those are my lasting impressions of Bishkek.

Add caption

Kyrgyzstan boasts great natural beauty. Lake Issyk-kul, a huge freshwater lake 182 kilometres wide (by 60 metres) gives life to a whole region of the country. Around it I went to reach Karakol on the far end, an interesting and pretty if somewhat ramshackle town with some amazing old houses and a striking wooden orthodox church. I took a jeep up the mountains to a place called Altyn Arashan, and stayed a night in an old, large, wooden shack. It was party night there, the place had a big gathering, and despite the lack of electricity, it was a great night. The next day I took in the stunning and very European mountains as I hiked back to Karakol.

Bukhara.

Tombs in Samarkand.

I had to go via Bishkek and again Kazakhstan to get to Uzbekistan. That journey in itself, going from marshrutka to taxi to taxi to taxi, crossing two borders in one day, was an incredible adventure I won’t forget. Bukhara and Samarkand both proved to be amazing places, from the old silk road, with incredible Islamic architecture. Uzbekistan felt very different from the other two Central Asian countries I visited. It was very dry and hot – Bukhara was over 40 degrees, Samarkand just under it.

Statue of Temur, Tashkent.

Despite the heat (and the heatstroke) I adored Uzbekistan. It reminded me a lot of Iran, and there were a number of friendly people I met there on my journey. Tashkent was more like the other countries, its boulevards very wide, and it even had a working metro-system! The parks were the highlight, as were the statues of the greatest Uzbek hero of all, Temur! I visited his museum too. Again there were impressive monuments and fantastic parks, where people cooled down from the heat. Swimming in the fountains was an extremely popular way to escape the heat in Uzbekistan, especially for but not only for, the children.

 

Tashkent

I’ve rolled three countries into one today, which doesn’t do any of them full justice. They are three amazing countries in the world, at one time they were one country with the rest of the Soviet Union. As individuals, I’m not sure they would make my top ten (they wouldn’t be far off) but together, they are just a brilliant travel experience. You can trek, you can see cities, history, culture, the future. Admire Islamic architecture or breath the mountain air and think you were in Europe. Central Asia offers the traveller so much. The tourist – maybe not so much, but for those willing to go the extra mile in paperwork, Central Asia rewards in bucketloads!

Writings :

Short Journeys – Kazakhstan (Amazon Link)

Coming February/March 2014 – Short Journeys: Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

The top ten so far:

10 – Slovakia

9 – Romania

8 – Mali

7 – The United Kingdom

6 – Japan

5- Central Asia

A Day in the Tokyo Sun

Well, I am back in Ichinoseki and the difference couldn't be more noticeable when it comes to temperature. Actually today it was around 3 degrees, but coming from Tokyo which now seems like the sunniest warmest place on Earth, I am really feeling the cold. Was very difficult for me to get to sleep last night because I was so cold!
In Tokyo and Yokohama we enjoyed sunny days with the mercury rising to around 12 degrees on every day. I didn't need to wear thermals! Now, well, there was a hint of snow and there's a bit on the ground, but the wind cuts through you like a knife! It's seriously freezing! And the worst is yet to come!

Crowds at Shinagawa.

Still, my last day in Yokohama saw me head into Tokyo. I brilliantly got off at the wrong station which was a good start - I wanted Shinjuku, but I got off at Shinagawa because I still get all my shins mixed up! Outside the station there was a crowd lined up waiting for the runners in this massive 2-day race they have here around New Year every year to pass. Teams (of seven I think) link in a big relay to run a total of 109 km each day of two. It was on television, every second of it! Still, Australia has it's traditional New Year's Cricket match at the SCG too, sporting events are special this time of year. And it turned out to be a special test match, didn't it...

This building is not like its neighbours.

I think the runners were curiously still some time away, like an hour or two if not more. But already there were plenty of people in this area of town with wide streets and shiny buildings. Nestled in between two buildings was this small and ancient-looking temple which I thought was very interesting. Across the road I looked at a map of the area and couldn't work out why it didn't correspond to the one I was looking at in my trusty guide book. Oh... I'm not where I think I am. At all! D'oh! Yes... a proper fool was I.

On the train again, it took 45 minutes plus to get to Shinjuku, more than double the time you'd expect. There were fires near the tracks, according to the information screen in the carriage. So we stopped at Harajuku station for over ten minutes, taking on enough passengers in that time that no more could fit inside the train. We stopped again two or three times, the last time for over ten minutes 200 metres from the Shinjuku station platform!

I have to admit, I like a good whopper. And I enjoyed one at Shinjuku station - McDonald's and KFC are the big winners in the American Fast Food Wars here, Burger King is much harder to find outside a couple of main centres. I was a bit disappointed in the size of large fries and drink, but the meal was satisfying. I'm sure that large in Australia is bigger than Burger King here, the fries are bigger here at McDonalds than Burger King, I am sure of that!

Walkway on the 29th floor of the NS building, Shinjuku.

I revisited the NS building in Shinjuku for some good views of the city with blue skies in the background.
Then I made my way through an interesting residential area to get to the vast Meiji Shrine park. It's a really big park I visited back in 2011, however, this time I was not able to get close to the Meiji Shrine itself, although I'm sure I could have if I waited long enough. Getting to a temple around New Year is very important here, and despite it being the 3rd, the queue to get to the temple was an hour plus long, at a guess. The park was wonderful to walk about, and if you can fade the faint sounds out from Tokyo, you might think you're in woods somewhere. Then there were policemen stationed at different points, not allowing access towards the temple from the north. They wanted to control the flow of people which is reasonable I expect.

More food stalls could also be found and this visit was clearly a family affair for many.
I walked down to Shibuya, wanting to see if a couple of museums were open. The Salt and Tobacco museum had moved when I eventually found it, the Tepco Electricity Museum I couldn't find at all. I suspect it has been closed down completely, probably after the 2011 tsunami - Tepco is the company responsible for the Fukushima Daichi Plant. You know the one.

So, more time spent in Tower Records, where I had a good hard think about J-pop. And, well, I think there's a whole blog in my thoughts, so I won't elucidate here and now. However - Watch this space!
The next blog should be up in the next few days, however I will save J-pop for another time because it's going to require a little bit of research. Around Tuesday - ish you can expect to see the continuation of my top ten destinations - we are up to number five!

I left Tokyo yesterday on the Shinkansen. It's easily the best way to travel in Japan. It's smooth and fast and pops you back at the centre of the city you're heading too. It's raging hot with fires in parts of Australia now, but I can barely feel my feet! Take care 'til the next time...

A Very Japanese New Year

So this is my first New Year in Japan. It's kind of a big deal here, well, Christmas is a time to eat sponge cakes with cream, see Santa-san and go to KFC for dinner. No, that is not a joke! So New Year is more special, involving spending time with family and visiting temple. Which is what I did.

Lining up at the temple.

People decorate the front of their house with pine tree-branches, sometimes combined with bamboo. Actually this simple piece of decoration can be seen many places around town and Japan. We made the trip down to Yokohama on the 30th and have another day here before heading back to Ichinoseki, where it is much colder than here. We left snow, no sign of it here. Day time maximums around the 12 degrees (positive) so that's a mercy, I can tell you!

I went with my wife yesterday to Iseyama Kotai Jingu (temple) where there was a long queue but nothing compared to many other temples. People line up to make a prayer. When you finally reach the temple, bow five times, throw some money into a wooden receptacle, and clap twice. This temple is famous for a rock (without a name) too, which apparently gives off good energy. Stalls went down the street selling mostly fried delights for those who dared to test their stomach.

Food stalls.

Looking down on some Osechi.

Kamaboko

We also enjoyed a traditional New Year's food. Osechi it's called, but sadly I failed the cultural food-based test badly. Although the chicken was ok! I found most of what I was offered very difficult to eat. The hardest was Kamaboko, hard to describe but my wife likened it to ham, but to me it tasted very seafoody. In fact I was just told it's made of fish paste! It looks like some sort of sweet, but it doesn't taste like that at all!






We did get to see a wonderful sunset over Mount Fuji on New Year's Eve, but it's not so much the party-celebration western countries experience, rather it's for the family. And otherwise it was pretty quiet. How was your New Year's?