Mukade! No!
So, here are some things I've done to prepare for Japan:
I found someone to take my apartment for July and August. This is good, because once I get my deposit back and stop paying my sky-high rent I'm going to be rolling in dough. And I need the dough.
I learned hiragana. It's not much, but it's a start. Now I have to learn katakana too or I'll be screwed when I try to go shopping for shampoo.
I found out about mukade. Um, they look like this (I hope you're sitting down!):
http://www.insects.jp/020522mukade.jpg
They can get up to 30 cm long, are venomous, are extremely aggressive, climb walls, have been known to drop down on people from the ceiling, like to hide under pillows, live seven years, and if you get bitten by one, you're in for a hospital trip. This is not cool. Oh, AND they travel in pairs, meaning if you actually manage to kill one, you damn well had better find the other one too. Legend has it that they can locate gold, that is, if they don't kill you first.
In order to kill a mukade, you should pick it up with cooking chopsticks and drop it into a pot of oil. Seems cruel, but I think I could do it. I will not tolerate infestation. Also, you can use the products with crying cartoon mukade on the package.
I also learned about the Tokai earthquake, which flattens the Shizuoka region without fail about every 133 years, give or take a few. As of 2007, it is a couple decades OVERDUE, meaning that when it does happen it'll be even stronger than usual. Geologists have predicted that the earthquake has a 35% to 45% of striking again before 2010. That's only two and a half years from now. Projected fatalities are 5000-8000. Some of those deaths will be due to a massive tsunami. I have no idea what prefecture of Japan I'll be in yet, but I'm not exactly hoping for Shizuoka.
So yeah, what with giant venomous centipedes and killer earthquakes, it looks like I'll have to make my peace with death before I go to Japan. I should also cultivate a taste for baby squid.
Here are some things I want to do in Japan:
Stay in a love hotel! Even if I don't use it for its intended purpose. The rooms are supposed to be really nice.
Eat at MOS Burger. The buns are made from rice, and you can get seafood patties.
Drink Kirin Ichiban beer. I love that stuff. Of course, I can do that here too...
Use a public bath.
See the Sapporo snow festival
http://www.fujita-hu.ac.jp/~kkatada/desktop_picture/Japan/Sapporo_snow_festival.jpg
Yeah, that's pretty standard stuff, I know. Anyone else have suggestions? Off the beaten path stuff?
I found someone to take my apartment for July and August. This is good, because once I get my deposit back and stop paying my sky-high rent I'm going to be rolling in dough. And I need the dough.
I learned hiragana. It's not much, but it's a start. Now I have to learn katakana too or I'll be screwed when I try to go shopping for shampoo.
I found out about mukade. Um, they look like this (I hope you're sitting down!):
http://www.insects.jp/020522mukade.jpg
They can get up to 30 cm long, are venomous, are extremely aggressive, climb walls, have been known to drop down on people from the ceiling, like to hide under pillows, live seven years, and if you get bitten by one, you're in for a hospital trip. This is not cool. Oh, AND they travel in pairs, meaning if you actually manage to kill one, you damn well had better find the other one too. Legend has it that they can locate gold, that is, if they don't kill you first.
In order to kill a mukade, you should pick it up with cooking chopsticks and drop it into a pot of oil. Seems cruel, but I think I could do it. I will not tolerate infestation. Also, you can use the products with crying cartoon mukade on the package.
I also learned about the Tokai earthquake, which flattens the Shizuoka region without fail about every 133 years, give or take a few. As of 2007, it is a couple decades OVERDUE, meaning that when it does happen it'll be even stronger than usual. Geologists have predicted that the earthquake has a 35% to 45% of striking again before 2010. That's only two and a half years from now. Projected fatalities are 5000-8000. Some of those deaths will be due to a massive tsunami. I have no idea what prefecture of Japan I'll be in yet, but I'm not exactly hoping for Shizuoka.
So yeah, what with giant venomous centipedes and killer earthquakes, it looks like I'll have to make my peace with death before I go to Japan. I should also cultivate a taste for baby squid.
Here are some things I want to do in Japan:
Stay in a love hotel! Even if I don't use it for its intended purpose. The rooms are supposed to be really nice.
Eat at MOS Burger. The buns are made from rice, and you can get seafood patties.
Drink Kirin Ichiban beer. I love that stuff. Of course, I can do that here too...
Use a public bath.
See the Sapporo snow festival
http://www.fujita-hu.ac.jp/~kkatada/desktop_picture/Japan/Sapporo_snow_festival.jpg
Yeah, that's pretty standard stuff, I know. Anyone else have suggestions? Off the beaten path stuff?