Romansu Kaa (Hakone Part 3)

Well, this is the train Satoko rebooked specifically to ride. There's nothing romantic about them, but these romansu-kaa (deluxe) trains are definitely comfortable. And to think, of all the hundreds of people on the train, a select 8 get front row seats! Does it cost extra? Reminds me of the time I had the front seats all to myself on Fujiyama at Fuji-Q High Land ...

Anyway, after the disappointing food at the Hakone Open-Air Museum, we decided to round off Satoko's birthday with a tasty Thai dinner in Shinjuku. Beer Chang was the perfect accompaniment. (Anybody remember those Big Changs in Thailand - especially Damian, if you're reading!)

Oh, I gave Satoko an iriver N10 pendant 1GB MP3 player for her birthday, but its lack of (well, poor/optional) USB Mass Storage device functionality, and refusal to play the variable bitrate MP3s I threw at it prevent me from recommending it to other friends. It's also hard to see the display through the mirrored front they put on it, so I can instead heartily recommend the player I chose for my birthday ...

A feast for all senses save taste! (Hakone Part 2)

The main activity planned for The Most Important Day Of The Year was a visit to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. This unique gallery sprawls over a large area in the hills near Hakone, providing a relaxing (though weather-dependent) atmosphere for the combined appreciation of art and nature.

Satoko had visited here 5 or 6 years previously, and although the museum itself was quite enjoyable despite the brooding weather, we were in for a shock when we sought nourishment indoors. The fantastic restaurant Satoko had enjoyed on her last visit had been replaced by a cheap buffet and an overpriced Chinese option. We sampled the Chinese and found it to be wanting in the extreme. Come here for the sculptures; come for the Picasso pottery collection; come to enjoy art in natural surrounds. But bring a packed lunch!

The Day Before The Most Important Day of The Year (Hakone Part 1)

For Satoko's birthday we went to Hakone, a beautiful volcanic area that cradles a large lake and 7 mountainous volcanic cones inside a huge caldera. Although it's a bit touristy, the people are friendly enough, and it felt great to be out of Tokyo and breathing some fresh mountain air.

The photo comprises some classic elements of Japan: rugged forested mountainous scenery, a shrine's torii (gates) placed in the (sacred) water, Fujisan (Mount Fuji) bringing up the rear, and of course a Japanese Mona Risa front-and-center.

Our hotel was right on the lake shore, and the next day from our room we observed the morning mists draw back to reveal the lake, the mountains, and finally Fujisan. After arriving we took a trip on one of the outlandish "pirate" ships (actually galleon replicas) to a town in the next bay. Somehow we found a little Italian restaurant hidden away above a museum, and had a lovely meal in the afternoon sunshine, washed down with some white wine. Perfec' ...

The Visitor

Cripes! Lots to catch up on. Firstly, Sean - my (NZ) business partner and best buddy - visited Tokyo. Of all the friends that I miss back in NZ and elsewhere, it was Sean that I both least expected and most appreciated a visit from. Out of NZ for the first time in his 36 years!

Before leaving he had trekked around a good deal of Tokyo. Ikebukuro (Best Tonkatsu in the Known Universe), Akihabara (strange hentai manga), Shibuya (109!), Shinjuku (Kabukichou), Korakuen (the drum game - pictured), Asakusa (Sensouji temple), and of course my own little backwoods, Kami-Itabashi.

He did well considering his previous week's activity; just one of the demons summoned together from all 7 levels of hell - receiving a sermon from the great B. (Beelzebub) Gates himself. All I can say is roll on .NET Framework 2. As Matt Shroff once asked: how come no-one's ever overwhelmed by the good side of the force?