Japan

[Woodsey]

Well here finally after a bit of time in Thailand. Will stick up some pics here as and when.

A few initial impressions....

-The Locals are very friendly if a little formal and rigid, been out for a few beers tonight and had groups of friends chatting to me on a couple of occasions without me trying chat with them.
-The transport system here in Tokyo is great, there was a bit of head scratching to start off with but after that the underground has been easy to get around on
-Food seems to be the hardest thing to sort out, very few places have English menus. I'm a picky eater so if I'm forced into ordering random Jap food I'm probably going to dip out and go western.
-There is surprisingly few cars on the roads, can't believe how few in fact right in the middle of Tokyo, maybe their public transport is so good they don't need cars?
-Every man and their dog told me how expensive Japan was going to be before I came, what a load of nonsense, I'm sure it can be but I reckon it's cheaper than London for equivalent stuff for the most part. Hotel £60, 1 day underground ticket £5, bottle of coke from corner shop 75p, plate of food and beer in restaurant £10, half litre of beer £2-3, sandwich for lunch in coffee shop £1.50 and free water that I was expecting to pay for.

Out for now....

[Woodsey]

A few pics from Tokyo, will keep posting from out here if people are interested.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[Woodsey]

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[Woodsey]

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

Yes please, especially the every day street scene stuff.

[booder]

Great photos Woodsey , keep posting please

[GreekStein]

Great photos Woodsey , keep posting please

Interested in food and girls pls. More pics of those needed ty!

[Woodsey]

Great photos Woodsey , keep posting please

Interested in food and girls pls. More pics of those needed ty!

Taking food pics every day so will add when I get a few, no bird pics but they are incred, I feel like a traitor saying this but Tokyo might just knock Bangkok off my number number 1 spot for eye candy!!

[Woodsey]

Had a spin on this thing today to Kyoto...

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

You could have swung about 3 cats in there.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

I did consider delaying a day or two to see what the typhoon was doing, appears to be heading the other way now.

Click to see full-size image.

[Woodsey]

Ok so a few food pics. I have only been eating local for dinner really and forgot to get pics every time but here's a start.

Teppenyaki- you have a griddle on your table and you order the ingredients and cook it yourself, fucking ingenious, if it's shite its your fault because you cooked it 

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

And you dip it in one of the various sauces etc, actually it was very good.

Click to see full-size image.

[Woodsey]

When you go you one of the small bars/food places here they will often present you with a snack like this, is it any wonder the Japs are slim and we are fat fucks? 

Click to see full-size image.

Many areas are littered with these small bars/food places, they are called Izakayas, great for a couple of beers and some food if they let you in.......that's another story.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

This particular one there was no English anywhere, the girl just wrote something into her phone and played it to me which said 'hungry' and I gave her the thumbs up. She pointed to the menu and the only thing I understood was the number 10, so I assumed that was 10 skewers of BBQ food as this was a BBQ joint, thumbs up once again with fingers crossed it wasn't a load of offel or some other shite.

Anyway the food came....

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Phew it was chicken!! 

Then I bit into the ones on the left on the last pic urrrggghh, nearly vommed on the spot, had to hold it down and it really wanted to come back up. Not sure what it was, not liver or kidney, heart maybe? Anyway not good, the rest was great so np. Also when you go to these places the whole team give you a team chorus communal welcome and goodbye, no idea wtf the they are saying but it's fun nonetheless. 

[Woodsey]

Went in this place another night, had been walking around for a couple of hours stopping for the odd beer where there was no English so had to bite the bullet at some point, bit of a spit and sawdust place but I'm cool with that. This place had a limited menu in English with basic description so I had the fried Chicken and omelette soba, turns out the soba bit is fried noodles in the omelette.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[Woodsey]

Tonight I did the BBQ thing again, now this place was quality. I've now Sussed how to order properly in here and the food was great, I know I should try other things but wtf else on this planet is better that BBQ beef right? 

They prepare all the food in front of you.

Click to see full-size image.

Once again BBQ dude is doing it all at the window so people passing can see.

Click to see full-size image.

Only toke this one pic of local beef and scallops, but had some wyagu beef and it was amazing!

Click to see full-size image.

The care they take when ordering the more expensive cuts is second to none. Never seen this before, they cut off all the excess fat around the outside as the beef is so well marbled throughout, that defies most cooking logic we have, if you cut the fat off the meat will be dry right? In fact it's only because we don't really get beef this well marbled unless we go through a specialist buyer, simple as that really.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Out for now, want to try the local pancakes tomorrow lunch as they look nice, let's see if I can stay off the beef!!

[TightEnd]

Ok so a few food pics. I have only been eating local for dinner really and forgot to get pics every time but here's a start.

Teppenyaki- you have a griddle on your table and you order the ingredients and cook it yourself, fucking ingenious, if it's shite its your fault because you cooked it 

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

And you dip it in one of the various sauces etc, actually it was very good.

Click to see full-size image.

how expensive or not is Japan?

for example how much would the teppanyaki (which i love) cost you?

[Woodsey]

That cost me a tenner including a beer Richard. Japan being expensive is an absolute myth mate, ABSOLUTE MYTH.  I'm sure it can be expensive if people want but I have not found that at all. I have not paid more that a fiver for a pint anywhere, I have not paid more than 60 quid for a hotel anywhere, a fiver bus/subway for a days ticket. I was told in no uncertain terms don't use taxis as they are horrendously expensive, I took 2 today, 10-15mins journeys each time 6-7 quid each lol. At WORST it is London prices but that is stretching it, I would say no different Nottingham prices.

Now I have one theory developing.......The nightlife in the degen tourist areas has a reputation for being very expensive, nightclubs, girls etc. now it might be that people who come here are factoring that in and reporting that back, I can't say for sure, (I've been pubbing it most nights but nothing beyond that). Or maybe times have just changed? Maybe Japan just isn't the powerhouse economy it once was? Maybe it was expensive a few years back but stuff has evened out now? I was very surprised when I came here at the prices, in fact most recent stuff I researched on the net agreed with what I found on the ground here.

I googled average salaries here yesterday after I was thinking about this, from a quick glance we are about on a par with them so that seems to hold up. So there ya go, don't let the 'it's expensive' tag that everyone told me before I came stop anyone coming here...