Saraba da Japan!

You've been amazeballs Japan. Hopefully I'll be able to come back again some day.
Observations:
So many that I have heaps of unfinished blog entries awaiting completion when I get home.
KaijuLæs mere
You know you are flying to Australia...

...when a significant portion of people waiting in the checkout line are wearing thongs and shorts even though it's 20 degrees.
Observations:
The ambient language is shifting back to English, soLæs mere
A Queen of Tarts at the Dreamers Lounge

Getting some last minute fancy-ness while waiting for the airport bus to take us back to the real world.
Observations:
I poached the pic of the cafe because I couldn't do it justice. It's a bit ofLæs mere
Excess Baggage 2: The Return

The sequel to Excess Baggage is yet another pair of shoes being sacrificed for the needs of the many.
Observations:
Next time travelling to Japan I'm thinking I'll bring less shirts since I seem toLæs mere
When it Rains, Just Keep Swimming

Raining and blowing a gail in DisneySea won't stop the Japanese from getting into the spirit of things.
Observations:
If this were Brisbane or most Australian cities, this weather would have broughtLæs mere
Achievement Unlocked: Shinkansen

Gun control starts at home - we should really stop referring to these as "bullet trains" since they don't look like that anymore, but the shinkansen are totally awesome.
Observation:
The originalLæs mere
Japanese Wrap, No Trash Talk

It's traditional to give gifts with elaborate wrapping. It's not traditional to provide bins - but it's still clean!
Observations:
In Japan if you buy anything, they wrap it, put it in a bag.Læs mere
Kyoto Tower of (not so much) Terror

It's a tower but, like Kyoto in general, more modest. Without the flashy lights of Tokyo or the price tag.
Observations:
Kyoto has less people in it than Brisbane but it's more compact, being aLæs mere
Japanese Drinking like a Fish

Grog is sold in convenience stores and vending machines, so accidentally getting an alcoholic drink from a vending machine when you can't read the language is bit of a gaijin hazard.
1. Kirin Lemon:Læs mere
Japanese Bread and Circuses

Japanese bread tastes different and is used differently to bread in western countries.
Bread in Japan is commonly called "pan" due to the Portuguese traders who introduced it, but it never reallyLæs mere
Achievement Unlocked: Nightingale Ninjas

While in Nijo Castle in Kyoto, got to experience the (infamous) ninja detection device known as the Nightingale Floors for myself to see if they were all that and a bag of bush warblers.
You aren'tLæs mere
Higashiyama: Grandma Momo

Higashyama has been catering to tourists for centuries. They play a very classy game.
Observations:
Higashiyama is actually a lot longer than many tourists realise since they normally just come fromLæs mere
Language Exams at the Terminal Cafe

It's kinda like a Melbourne cafe in Kyoto. But I'm probably interested in the latte. I didn't have poached eggs but I poached the pics.
www.terminal-cafe-by-room-lab.com
Observations:
It'sLæs mere
Neon Genesis Evangeli-Train

Did I mention that Japan likes trains AND anime? So put the two together and you get a Neon Genesis Evangelion themed Shinkansen train...
Observations:
The Kyoto Railway Museum includes a mock upLæs mere
Hiro of the Rails

Hiro once lived on a railway in Japan, where he was famously known as the "Master of the Railway". He was eventually sent to Sodor and tormented by the Fat Controller like Thomas and his friends.Læs mere
Japanese Convenience Food

There is a 7 Eleven on one corner, a Lawsons on another, a Family Mart on the third, and an independent store on the fourth. They all have customers in them 24/7.
I've been experimenting with localLæs mere
Gojo to Gion

I think this counts as a walk around the block...? Went looking for a latte, accidentally went a little further afield than planned.
Observations:
You know those pictures of people trout fishing inLæs mere
Teleporting Between Osaka and Kyoto

Feels a bit posh to use a Shinkansen for just one stop, but it's one advantage to having a JR Rail Pass for unlimited travel.
Observations: the unreserved carriages are basically economy. If you areLæs mere
Excess Baggage

I left my old shoes in Osaka. They had no soul left because of a deal with the devil.
Observations:
Rather glad we didn't opt to take the smaller bags.
Unless you are in the middle of summer, it'sLæs mere
Achievement Unlocked: #Ravenclaw4life

The wand might choose the wizard, but the wizard chooses the House - the Sorting Hat just tells you what you already know. In my case, that house was always going to be Ravenclaw.
Observations:
TheLæs mere
Hogwarts: A History (Japanese Edition)

If you are in Japan, you should go to Universal Studios Japan just for it's Harry Potter land. In fact, start saving for it now, get a mortgage or rob a bank, it's totally worthLæs mere
Osaka: Universally Utilitarian

Osaka's nickname is Tenka no Daidokoro (the nation's kitchen). Since I don't cook, and don't like to shop for food, I may have a slightly bias view of Osaka as a practical kindaLæs mere
Japanese Post It Notes

It's a polite way for Japan to remind guests to not be douche bags.
Observations: Much anxiety. Probably warranted for a large number of tourists who are also douche bags.
Kaiju Collected: None -Læs mere
Osaka Trainspotting

Train travel here is crazy easy. Anyone who says otherwise is a lazy gaijin. We passed through so quickly I had to poach other people's pics. Google maps is however a useful time saver if purely toLæs mere
Japan says Yasu to Solar

Passing through Yasu still playing photo wack-a-mole.
Observations: Coal is for losers, cool kids are rolling out solar farms instead.
Kaiju Collected: Energy from our nearest fusion reactor.