Neon on my naked skin, passing silhouettes of strange illuminated mannequins.

[sarah_orange]

Oddly enough I'm glad to be home, back to the relative normality of the life of orange.
Can't believe how much stuff occurred here in the 13 days I was out of the country. People losing jobs, splitting up, getting together, being in hospital... pfft! Maybe it's always this exciting and I just don't normally notice...

Japan was everything I'd expected and more. it was more flashy/blinky than you can even begin to imagine. a tangled mass of chaotic noise, light and movement. utter confusion. people everywhere. train stations with 60+ exits. short people around your ankles. undeciperable neon kanji and random english. and then the contrast of the shrines and gardens. unbelievable beauty and serenity.

won't even try to write it up as it's reduced my attention span to that of a 12 year old tartrazine addict so here are a few (well quite a lot really but hey) bullet points:

• umbrellas - de rigure in japan even if it's only spotting - the entire nation seems to have a morbid fear of getting rained on even slightly


• said umbrellas seem to be instantly produced from some secret umbrella gland within 3 seconds of the first raindrop and are absorbed again immediately afterwards


• just because it's brown doesn't mean it's chocolate


• you think engrish is hard to find because you become blind to it. it is infact everywhere - just looking now I noticed the cover of a toilet sign I bought says 'sign sticker - makes your life vivid'...


• there is no point to pachinko. none. what so ever


• I can always find the red light district. not necessarily on purpose. in retrospect this is because they're everywhere


• plastic food does not look appetising


• the japanese do strange things to trees and it looks really good


• moss is an acceptable and pleasant grass substitute - which is useful as proper japanese grass appears to be beige


• it's a country where you really, really don't want to just order something random if the menu's all in kanji


• supermarkets are one of the most interesting indicators of the finer details of a culture


• shinto is the one with the orange gateways


• japanese goth is all about the frill and not at all about the boobies


• there's something inherently and pantwettingly terrifying about being greeted by 7 women at the checkout of a shop saying "irasshai maseeeeee" at the same time


• cuteness is endemic. even street sweeping machines play a plinky madness inducing little tune


• if you have red hair and/or piercings you are a rockstar


• hello kitty is just plain WRONG!


• vegetarians beware - just because a menu notes the main ingredients as vegetables doesn't mean it isn't actually full of meat or fish


• the japanese have avidly embraced both cheese and italian food


• bear ears are simply the funniest item of clothing ever


• japanese women have strange pixellated pubes - it must be really uncomfortable


• buses and trains attract nutters no matter where you are in the world


• shabbu shabbu and sukiyaki are similar but different


• if you saw it, it's not a geiko, its a maiko


• plastic tat is still plastic tat even when its produced in sets of 7 and randomly sold in packets that don't let you know which one of the 7 it is with the idea of getting you to collect the lot


• wooden shoes and white cotton tabi socks are the height of elegance even when you have your pyjamas on


• tea and cake tastes significantly nicer when served on the 41st floor of an extremely expensive hotel

I'd better stop - I could go on for hours. god help you if you encounter me drunk at anypoint in the next 3 months...

Comments

[tinksdarkerside.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you had a bloody fantastic time!

Look forward to the piccies! :o)

[sarah-orange.livejournal.com]

argh don't mention them - I have the fear - using a digital camera messes with your head - I'm paranoid about putting my films in for processing now cos I don't have a clue what they'll come out like....

[tinksdarkerside.livejournal.com]

Ha! Wimp! :op

[undead69.livejournal.com]

Welcome back to the finest city up north oh Orange Birdy ;p

Glad your safe and well and seemingly have had a spifftasmitastical time ;o

Did you bring any rock back? ffs, I nearly typed cock then lol :s

[sarah-orange.livejournal.com]

no - japanese sweets started giving me the fear. pocky were about as normal as it got and some of them had pictures of nuns in them...

[undead69.livejournal.com]

nuns? lol...how odd ;o

[cyberlite.livejournal.com]

hopefully that wasnt pocky with nuns.. :P >_

[whiteivy.livejournal.com]

mewp! welcome back!
:)

[sarah-orange.livejournal.com]

and to you too madame!

[ingenious76.livejournal.com]

I have to go to Japan. Your post has motivated me to do that in the near future. I am insanely jealous.

[sarah-orange.livejournal.com]

I think 2 weeks is about as bigger dose as I could manage in one go. am looking forward to 5 days of recovery :)

[wibblefish.livejournal.com]

welcome back we missed you saturday

[enki.livejournal.com]

Welcome back!! :)
I look forward to hearing all about it :) (I am still insanely jealous)
*hugs*

[iicatsii.livejournal.com]

I want to talk about me for a bit now!!! I turned into Shaft whilst you were away!!!

[warlockdreams.livejournal.com]

"unbelievable beauty and serenity."

Yes, like a lot of cities in the world. Except the ones in England.

Glad you had a good time, come to hoagys on sat! linky & his bitch will be there, so will daddy & brother & hopefully a few more people. Even if its just for a few pints. Was meant to call you last night but if i remember I'll call you this evening.

[blondelass.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a wonderful time was had.


And curiosity has got the better of me..

japanese women have strange pixellated pubes

How do you know these things?

[tals.livejournal.com]

*envy* I so need to go there... although if you'd asked I could've warned you :)

[angelic-angie.livejournal.com]

Welcome back to the land of the intermittent sun. What are you doing tomorrow cos I'd like to see you and get the full gory details about how you discovered that the Japanese have strange pixellated pubes? :p