Serenity Now
Current location? A Shinto shrine. I find I'm always more comfortable visiting religious buildings based on Eastern religions than I am in churches. For starters, my view on churches/cathedrals is inclined toward the idea that having seen one, you've seen them all. But shrines and temples seem to have individual personalities.

And maybe some of the difference arises from a general cultural identity, but I think it's also a matter of the thoughts they inspire. In a cathedral, I get thoughts like, "okay, so God is awesome and huge, like this building." And that tends to inspire at least a little fear. But in a Buddhist temple, I get a sense of peace and harmony; I feel like I'm supposed to relax.

But I don't get their rules. "No cameras," I get. But "no sketching"? What's that about? And since sketching outside is allowed, what's to stop me from sketching from a fresh memory?

Also, Starbucks has branded mugs they use for stay-in orders. My dad says it's the same way in Taiwan.
- posted by roger @ 3:05 PM (1) comments

 
Coffee Nation
One of the first things one notices about Japan is that they drive on the left side of the road. Of course, this influences other conventions. You stand on the left, walk on the right. And while walking on sidewalks, you stay to the left side of it. I've spent the last four days awkwardly getting in people's way as I try to bear right.

Less obvious is Japan's strong coffee culture. My guess is that coffee gets overshadowed by its greener, also caffeinated cousin. But they definitely love their coffee here. Today, I've had two coffees.

The first was in the Nagoya train station, at Danmark Café (or maybe it was Café Danmark) as I was waiting for my shinkansen (bullet train). It was a lovely dark roast, with a slight bitter edge to it. It came at the perfect temperature—too hot to gulp, but too cool to burn my tongue. It stayed at that ideal temperature the entire time I was drinking it, aided by the styrofoam cup. But considering how environmentally conscious the entire country seems to be )rarely are garbage cans found in numbers fewer than three, so you can easily separate different recyclables), I wouldn't be surprised if it were some kind of high-tech styrofoam.

The café was bustling, as cafés in train stations tend to be. It also had a tasty assortment of pastries. As I was making my selection, a young woman brought out a fresh tray of cheese-filled pastries—quite sumptuous.

Later in the day, I stopped by La Caffè Kenya, which is in the Campus Plaza building by Kyoto Station. Despite the fact that it was a light roast, it was still enjoyable. It was pretty deserted (at 6pm), but it was still inviting. They played the type of American music one would expect in a small, intimate café, State-side.

I think my coffee tally is somewhere around six, plus I got a chai latte at Starbucks. I often got them at school, so I was curious about how they might compare. There was something pleasantly light about it; it reminded me of marshmallows. It was a bit too sweet though; I prefer heavier spices, especially cloves. Their napkins were comparatively softer. I think it could have something to do with the 30% bamboo fiber content.

Overall, Japan's been treating me well. Although there was a slight bump in the road my first night, which was spent in Kyoto. I was on the same floor as a bunch of Japanese schoolgirls on some kind of class trip. perhaps it was someone's idea of a fantasy, but not mine. It may have something to do with the most obvious reason [ed.– nope, not a pedophile], or it could have something to do with one of the girls mistakenly calling my room (trying to reach a friend post-curfew, probably), parroting my English, and giggling. But it's still been a good time.
- posted by roger @ 7:22 PM (0) comments

 
Branded
So I totalled my expenses on this trip thus far. My dad paid for the plane ticket, and I'm staying at my grandmother's, so the only expenditures are on completely voluntary purchases.

Thing is, every time I come to Taiwan, relatives give me money. And the currency lends itself to giving me US$165—every time I see them. See, that translates to NT$5000, or five NT$1000 bills. They can't give me NT$1000, because that would just seem stingy, so they give me five of them. Seems like a good number, right? So I've amassed a small fortune in NT$, because it is just impossible to spend it that quickly without being a total wastrel. I don't exchange the money for USD, because I don't feel like that's the right spirit. And I'm bound to come back to Taiwan again, so I figure I might as well hold on to the currency.

But letting the money gather dust doesn't do anyone any good. So even though I'm not spending like a total moron, I've been pretty indulgent on the last few trips. I brought back my money on this trip with it burning a hole in my pocket. I did pretty well, considering I've only been here five days.

I spent about US$20 on consumables, primarily at 7-11. I'm in love with the convenience of having a 7-11 across the street, so I go even when I'm not really thirsty at all. I spent another US$20 on knick-knacks that various people asked for, including pens for Janet. She understands the urge to practice pen brand-loyalty. There are so many variables that go into a pen's performance—color, grip, ink flow rate, line thickness, drying rate, waterproofness, to name a few—so it's important to stick to one you like. I even bought myself two Uniball Signo DXs, plus two refills. I love this pen, but I rarely use it, because I worry about it running out. Now I have enough ink to last me until my next trip to Taiwan.

I spent quite freely on personal goods; my total was almost US$200. Everything I got was still reasonably priced, or a good deal. But in the US, "reasonably priced" doesn't provide adequate justification. I let it do so here. Okay, that was a lie. Checking my list, I bought a couple pairs of really expensive underwear. I reasoned that I was always curious about name-brand underwear, so why not indulge now? Maybe there was something to the non-cotton, non-boxer-cut underwear? So I bought some to try out. Preliminary results say that white underwear highlights my tan, and stretchy fabric makes my ass look gooooood.

So despite all the indulgent spending, there was one thing I hadn't factored in: relatives gave me money on this trip, as well. I kind of figured once I had graduated that I'd be immune from these awkward and generous gifts. But not so much. I'm going back to the States with more money than I started with. Well, I am headed to Japan in the morning, so there's still some time [ed.– there are things to buy in Japan like you would not believe].

I was going to write about seeing Matt, but I'm exhausted and the flight is early.
- posted by roger @ 12:39 AM (0) comments