Still No Poker but Turning Japanese

As the title suggests, poker is still taking a back seat to my everyday life. Not really playing that much. Just came back from a trip to Osaka Japan though. And it was one of the coolest countries I've visited. People are so polite, it is relatively clean and the food is awesome. I always had the impression that the food is expensive in Japan, but the opposite is true. There are lots of small places that you can go to where the price is reasonable and the food is delicious. Curry, Ramen, Udon, Huge Beef Bowls, Tempura. YUM.

Places to visit are of course Universal Studios, the Kaiyukan Aquarium, Den Den Town for electronics and Osaka Castle. Just make sure to cop one of those cheap flights from Cebu Pacific and the total cost for the trip is surprisingly only slightly higher than a Hongkong visit and you get to experience a totally different and unique culture. Hongkong is already too common as everybody has been there including their maids.

The only negative during a March visit to Japan is the weather. The average was around 6 to 8 degrees and for us warm blooded filipinos. Way too cold.

Notables from the trip include (1) seeing so many pretty Japanese ladies in their ubershort skirts. My wife had to turn my head back a couple of times or else I would bump into something. Heheh. (2) Getting a shirt from Uniqlo with a Mazinger Z design. OK. For those who are not familiar. UNIQLO is a clothing store that originated from Japan which now has many branches in Asia including China, Singapore and Hongkong. It is like the GAP of Asia. It offers fashionable and good quality clothes for men and women at very reasonable prices. Be sure to visit their stores whenever you see them around Asia. Mazinger Z is a cartoon about a robot. Together with Voltes 5, it was one of the mainstay programs that I watched during my childhood. Seeing a shirt with Mazinger Z on it. My geeky side couldn't resist. (3) Heated toilet seats with automatic bidets and dryers. This may sound totally weird and out of this world. But after having experienced this in cold weather. I have become a convert. I want one here in the Philippines if I can get one. Heheh. (4) Eat all you can sushi in a rotating sushi conveyor. My cousin and I finished 45 plates between the 2 of us. BURP (5) 100 Yen Stores like Daiso. I know we already have them here. But the Japanese stores have tons more stuff in them. I got a set of earphones for 100 yen. Also a nice pair of boxer shorts. Of course you can't expect high quality but still that's just 50 pesos. (6) Japanese chocolates. Lots of different kinds to choose from. From high quality fresh chocolates to Kit Kat Green Tea Flavor.

Some people might have a problem with the language as almost all Japanese people cannot speak English. Even the hotel staff have a hard time communicating. But the people are so helpful and polite that it is still easy to get around. Just be ready to make silly hand gestures and lots of finger pointing and bowing. Their subways and trains are very well organized with accurate schedules. If they say it arrives at 9, then it arrives at 9. I don't think I took a train or bus that was late during my whole stay there. Just get one of their subway maps and you should be able to roam around at your leisure.

What else can I say ? Great place for a vacation. I am definitely going back when I get the chance.