My-Trip-to-the-Land-of-the-Rising-Sun. They say first impressions last. So for this entry, I shall talk about my first impressions of Japan which I think should last: 1] people are extremely friendly, warm, and helpful. Would go out of their way just to get you what you need--- sometimes even before you even ask for it... 2] it's definitely cool-gadget-land! Waiters/Waitresses don't use pen and paper to get your order--- they have these press-button-electronic gadgets that automatically send your order to 'central base' so that the cook can start putting it together... and yeah, this one is unforgettable: I ask for an iron at the hotel, and they bring me the wireless-type... it operates in the same way as a wireless phone... you know, its heat lasts up to a certain time, and you'll have to put it back in the base for sort of 're-charging'... pretty cool actually... 3] they have excellent food! The restaurants are superb... their beer is good... lunch at the cafeteria was great... even the vending machines have good pastries and coffee. If I stayed any longer, I would have gained more pounds than I can handle... 4] people speak in soft, gentle, quiet tones. I was witness to a meeting that didnt include me, so they were speaking in Japanese. I can tell that the discussion was getting pretty intense because they were speaking pretty fast now, but not one of them was raising his/her voice! I thought that was fascinating ... 5] people work quietly. Got to tell ya, that was the quiet-'est' warehouse I have ever been to!! Nobody calls out to each other from one end of the warehouse to another... people hardly speak to each other... and they speak in quiet tones when on the phone. I find that admirable... even if I felt like I was the loudest person in entire place! 6] And yes, Japan is very clean: clean streets, clean food places ... everything clean. So there you go. Those were my first impressions. I'd say, this trip to Japan was quite unforgettable... and yes, I'd go back anytime... for more yaki-niko and kirin half & half beer!

[This entry is for mature audiences only.] TSUKUBA & FEMININE WASH. Ladies, this is a tip when traveling to Japan: never leave home without your feminine wash. Now guys, I know that you know what this is. Anyway, I made the mistake of forgetting to bring mine today so I had to go through the trouble of looking for one at a mall in the Tsukuba Center… and I thought that was an easy task. But guess what??? All the ladies at that section of the mall cannot speak nor understand English!!! So they make a phone call to seek help from someone who KNOWS a bit of English….and to my horror A GUY walks over! I couldn’t say “Nevermind” anymore—didn’t want these very helpful individuals to think I was just messing with them. So I said, very carefully, that I was looking for a ‘feminine wash’. I thought he understood as he was nodding his head…. But no! He hands me some paper and pen and asks me to write it down!!! --- Man! – but I had no choice.. so I wrote it down… now really embarrassed… but still, he can’t figure it out! So he brings in his Manager (a man in his 40’s maybe)… and they discuss a possible product with Japanese characters written all over it… But, they weren’t sure. So they talk some more, in Japanese, and then one of them goes, “Aha!” like he’s already got the answer! But noooo…… they bring in ANOTHER GUY…. Someone who knows more English than the first guy… there are now a total of 3 guys trying to figure out what I need. It was nuts! So very carefully, the 3rd guy translates to me what the box said… you know, that the thing is to be used for….you know… girls, you know the drill… and man, that really killed me!!!!! If I use the thermometer to measure embarrassment, this has got to be 100 deg Celcius--- yep, boiling point of water! And man, that whole thing lasted for 30 minutes!!! So I practically used up several thousand yen of work time there…. And for what? ….all for ‘feminine wash”. Damn!