Guest entry from Hopson & Alex

Alex & Steve’s sugoi travels in the Nippon

What can we say about our time in the Nippon, it has been an absolutely amazing experience! This trip to Japan was Steve’s first time out of North America and it was a great experience. Sara and Jamie have been excellent hosts and it would have been enough just to hang out with them but on top of that we got to see some sugoi sights! Of course pictures will do a better job of describing everything but we’d have to say our top 10 moments are:

1) Our Hiroshima and Miyajima day – a morning of unbelievably sad sights and stories finished off by a beautiful afternoon on Miyajima – see the floating torii (which wasn’t floating b/c the tide was out), sitting there with Chu-hai and beer watching the sunset.

2) Seeing the Hanshin Tigers beat the Yokohama Bay Stars was an amazing baseball game incomparable to any you’d see back home. It was great to be able to stretch out in seats meant for dwarfs. Steve physically couldn’t move or sit up if people sat next to him. The fans at the game were chanting and screaming the whole game, it was amazing to see the passion the fans have for their team. The best way to explain it would be to say the Japanese fans are like polite British soccer fans.

3) Kobe beef – no words to describe how AMAZING it was (see Sara’s entry for photos!)

4) Our times in Kyoto – from Gion to the bamboo forest in Arashiyama (meanwhile we almost died on the boat trip – those were some big rapids . . . NOT!!)

5) Our brief stint in the Caribbean in hectic Tokyo (we even got a free round trip to the airport . . . oops!) and the most AMAZING sushi we have ever had from the Tokyo fish market – has ruined us for anything we will ever have at home!! WOW

6) Laughing, drinking, and hanging out with Sara and Jamie (definitely the highlight of the trip) – Spam pizza and burgers (FYI Spam is actually good!!) and shochu at Da Sponge, mega beers at Tin’s, just drinking at their pad and the morning we saw the sun come up – after belting out the Karaoke for 6 hours!! We are the best singers ever (I am sure some of the videos will end up on here . . . for your sake I hope they do not!!!)

7) Amanohashidate sand bar was the first time in Steve’s life that he opened a book at home, pointed at a picture and said “I want to go there” and then actually did it. It was great time to bend over and look between my legs and see something amazing. Riding the bikes was fun too.

8) Having grade school students stopping us at every tourist attraction rain or shine to practice their English. Telling them we are from Vancouver, Canada then waiting the 5 seconds while the little kids scream and jump with excitement. Letting them know we like sushi and then wait 20 seconds while the shy, quite kid in the corner of the group tries to remember his line while he is thinking why are we bothering these poor tourists. A little tip, even the teachers try and trick you by offering to take a picture for you in front of the tourist attraction. Don’t fall for it, take your own picture or be prepared to talk to a different group of kids.

9) Banana chocolate croissants (we know we weren’t in France – but Japan knows its pastries!!)

10) GST’s (gin, sprite & tonic) and drinking in public.

oh ya........and one more thing:

11) If you are ever walking around Tokyo for hours and hours...DO NOT go to a restaurant where you have to take off your shoes!

In conclusion, we couldn’t have asked for a better time and weather (we only got dumped on one day – and it was super hot!). But just one thing “Hhhhhhowduhuliiikeurpitza?”

Sayonara – xoxo Steve & Alex