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2008 is the year of ten fingers. Soon you will have to leave all your ten fingerprints at the US immigration, not just your two index fingers (not thumb as the article states).

Not only that, but the data is now stored by the FBI, and used in criminal investigations, not just for immigration purposes. So by going to the states, your fingerprints automatically mingle with those of murderers and thieves.

I think the worst part is that people don’t seem to be complaining or taking this seriously. I fear the future. And here I thought I could have a nice, relaxing day, instead the world is going to hell. I should stop reading the paper.

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Assorted Tokyo

Originally uploaded by zeraien.

This is a neat pic I took in Tokyo.
Posting this mostly to test Flickr’s “blog this” function which streamlines the process of posting pics to your blog directly from Flickr.

A neat feature.

I cant really get my head around this, but why do Ambulance drivers and medics in Japan wear helmets?
I mean like, construction site helmets… Even while driving. Even while helping a patient. Even while just standing around…

See if that doesn’t make you wonder, eh.

Wow, before I knew it, it was all over.

Well not really. I am not even finished writing up the diary entries for the whole trip, and I am already home.

I had a blast in Japan, it was really great and in a way I long to go back. Some invisible force is pulling me in it’s general direction. I can’t quite understand it.

At the very least the weather here in Stockholm has been really great since I got back.
However after 2 weeks on my feet, slipping back into my sofa and sitting there for almost 2 straight days was not what I had in mind upon my return. I really do work best when I am on my feet.

Back in Japan I had no time or place to relax or slack around. I had to move around, go places and do stuff. I enjoyed it and while there were times I felt that I just wanted to sit in a manga cafe all day and do nothing, I only did it once and it was only a few hours. I spent that time writing a good blog entry and checking my mail.

I do feel that I have greatly broadened my horizons and I feel that I know a bit more about myself now. I know more about my strengths, weaknesses and limits. Obviously I have only scratched the tip of the iceberg, and I am hardly an explorer of the wilderness. Still, this is a good first step.

My japanese skills have improved quite a bit, and while I have not really mastered the language, I have indeed learned a lot more about how and when to use various levels of politeness and a bunch of other useful things which you can only learn when in contact with the real people who use the language. I look forward to expanding my knowledge!

I can also report that I rarely felt that I missed my computer, or that I needed to use it for something except storing my photos.
I did not even check my email so much. Since japanese mobiles use real email instead of sms, all the important email came straight to my phone email address, so I rarely bothered with my normal email.

There is plenty of analysis that can be done in this area, and I intend to do it soon.

However before that, I still have a weeks worth of Japan Diary entries to write, and there is plenty in there of interest. So look forward to it!

I’ve been really busy lately, if you can call it that.
Writing an entry here takes like 2 hours, especially if I am to include all the gritty details. I guess I should update more often or less detailed… heh
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Because my current travelling companion is a woman, and capsule hotels usually don’t take their kind, despite there being a capsule hotel above me, I could not sleep comfortably in that wonderful japanese invention knowing she was suffering in a steamy internet cafe below. So I am sleeping my next to last night in Japan in a Manga cafe again.

Tomorrow I gotta go to Osaka to pick up my Kendo armor (with my name inscribed on it) and then its back to Tokyo for my last day. I hope my feet recover a bit, cause by the end of today they hurt like FUCK.

Anyway, today was expo day, it was great. Well time hit the hay, I can say in passing however that Capsule hotels, next to manga cafes are the fucking shit. They are so great! I’ll give ya the juicy morcels later.

It is really difficult to update your blog while travelling. I give kudos to all those who do!

Well I am back on Saturday evening Swedish time, so I guess on Sunday I’ll upload at least enough pics to cover the parts of my story so far. I got over 1000 pics to sort thought, and probably 30% of is is garbage or just duplicates I took to make sure I got at least one good one… heh.

Might blog before then, but I doubt it.

I hope some one meets me at the airport. (Vlad.. *cough* *cough*)

Well I wondered around nagoya for a few hours, and while I found several bars and tried to get some japanese people to take me with them, I ended up not going (as usual). Instead I ate some japanese curry rice and decided to turn in.

My initial plan was to take the sleeper train to Kyushu at 22.47 (arrives at 8am), then I learned that it only had sleeper cars and I would have to pay around 10000￥ for that, so I figured I’d rather spend a few thousand for sleeping in Nagoya and travel early in the morning with faster shinkansen.
So now I have to catch a shinkansen at 6.50 something, and until then I returned to my home, the manga cafe.

Sayaka suggested I try a capsule hotel, and amazingly there was one just across the street, but it was full. So fate moved me into the manga cafe.
Luckilly for me they even had a non-smoking section, something I neglected to ask for last time. Although it does not seem to be too effective.

In any case. I don’t know what it is that makes me feel so good here. Maybe the presence of technology, or geeks, or manga… But I feel nice here. At peace.

Oh, and that all night special was only during week days, but its ok, it will still only be like 2500 or something. Still cheaper then most hotels. And with earplugs, no problem.

In any case, signing off now. Gonna sleep, night.

Update: There is apparantly a capsule hotel in the same building as the manga cafe… how silly of me!

Got more pics up now. Click “Flickr” on the side menu. Or here.

The story behind the picture of my “hotel room” in 大吉 I will rescind in my next entry. Now I gotta book a sleeper train to Kyushu. Maybe.

I might just chill at this mangakissa all night.
I mean, I can watch all the anime I want, or read manga or play games, for peanuts.

I heard from a Japanese friend that apparently because the Mangakissa are so good, they are actually somewhat of a problem since a lot of people hang there all the time.

Nice.

//D

Free soft drinks, hot drinks, cup noodles, sandwiches, candy and all the manga you can read. You also get a computer, a TV, a PS2 and your own little cabin.

Don’t forget the slippers either!

This reclining chair aint too bad either.

All for just 300 yen per hour.

Shit.

Update: Please note that sleeping in a manga cafe costs between 1500 and 2000￥. It is quite comfy too. A good solution if you are stuck without a hotel. And since you get food and drink too, you are better off then in most smaller hotels. Just bring earplugs if you are sensitive.

So, earlier I promised to describe a night in a Japanese house.
I completely forgot and did not do it, however since I’ve now spent a few more such nights, I’ll detail it later.

Now I’ll give you the nittygritty of my Kyoto visit.
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