Autumn Foliage

Autumn Foliage? Is that what we call it? I don't remember after living here in Japan for so long... My English has gotten worse, but whatever. The Japanese love their changing of the seasons. In spring they have parties to enjoy cherry blossoms and in winter they parties to enjoy autumn foliage. We don't see that much back home so its kind of interesting, but the cold fucking weather that goes with it sucks.

  

These are from Kourankei... It's one of the most famous in Japan. Being a horrible tourist that I am I don't have a good camera so these camera phone photos will have to suffice.

 

Trash Day

Trash Day in a suburban neighborhood.

Eating at Outdoor Establishments in Winter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu

I saw this the other day walking by a restaurant, but forgot to make fun of how shoddy it looked... turns out its an actual "thing." Interesting idea... I guess.

My Thoughts on Taipei

I went to Taipei recently for a quick four day trip. After doing some research I found out I got ripped off on the flight its only $230 from Osaka (Peach airlines) compared to $450 from Nagoya. Oh well, its a lot easier from Nagoya than having to get to Osaka.

Anyways, I wanted to write this so I don't forget what I saw in Taipei. You can see most of the photos on my facebook.

-Toilet paper: In half the toilets in Taipei (even nice public ones) there is a trashbin for used TP... This is strange but there is a huge "green" movement in Taipei.

-Eco-friendly: Mentioned above, there is a huge movement in Taipei. There are a lot of solar panels, recycling system similar to Japan, TP usage above, and just tons of technology being used (and advertising their use) on/in buildings

-Food: Cheap as fuck and still really delicious.. although some of the places look pretty damn shoddy.

-Women: not as pretty as japanese women and dress rather poorly. I even went to the most expensive malls on a friday and still no one... didnt make it to a club though =(

-Asian culture: similar to japanese where the people just like to hang out at shopping arcades, McDonalds, or a coffee shop.

-Breastfeeding- this is HUGE in Taipei. There are literally more breastfeeding signs on walls and subways then bathroom signs. Why? I have no idea...

-Bball- Taiwanese love themselves some bball. Nike is a huge brand and there are NBA signs everywhere... not to mention Jeremy lin.

-Playboy- Not only is the playboy bunny seen everywhere, and accepted, (clothing/accessories); but it's also the word asians (Japanese and Taiwanese) use for male slut/ player. "player" isnt much different from "playboy" but it just sounds funny coming from asian women.

-Sightseeing- I dont think there was much to really see... there were supposed to be some nice places that you could take a bus to see, but i never really made it there.

Poetry - There was a lot of random poetic plaques found throughout Taipei... Taiwanese seem to enjoy their poetry tons more than Japanese people.

All in all, this place is a great place to just relax, eat, and drink with the locals. They are really nice people and everything is cheap. Mix in some sightseeing, shopping, and local food for an all around good experience.

Thanks Taiwan.

Simple Improvements

...that everybody can enjoy =)

Its a hell of a lot easier than having to rip open the package.