Friday, December 28, 2012

Intermission

Part 2 of my Japan trip was supposed to go here, but then I discovered that Steam has a sale on various computer games. Among others Civ 5 for half price and the bestest game series ever Broken Sword 1-3 for only 1 Euro.
So... err... This might take a while. I knew you'd understand.

Seriously though. The second part is on its way.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

There...

I left for Japan at the end of last month to visit my friend Stefan. I'll try to recount some of what happened there and on the way there. I left Sweden on the morning of November 17th. I had a carefully laid out plan of wearing a jacket over a cardigan over a shirt. That way I'd be prepared for any climate both in Sweden and along the way and even when arriving in Japan. I liked my plan. Was quite proud.

I had a 5 hour overlay in Copenhagen. I spent it on writing articles and wrestling with the free wifi at the airport. IT'S NOT FREE WIFI IF IT DISCONNECTS EVERY 8 MINUTES! There, I feel much better now. Really. What are you doing with those long-armed sweaters?


I find my seat without any problems and it's one of those seats in front of the toilets, which means more legspace (YAY!) but no screen for inflight entertainment. (or so I initially thought. Also... Boo!). I was fed some kind of meat and gratinated potatoes. It was better than expected. '4/5, would eat again'. I was also handed an immigration form. Not technically an immigration form maybe. But it's a form, detailing where you'll be staying, if you're carrying any valuables, weapons or drugs and you leave it to the immigrations officer. I didn't have a pen. So I ignored the form for now. Instead I read a book on my Kindle.

Slight aside:
My Kindle is one of my better purchases this year. It's a reading plate. You can read any amazon book on there. Currently Amazon does not have  a swedish section, but there are third-party programs that can transfer your borrowed library e-book (or any other e-book) onto the kindle without any fuss. Be sure to delete the book after your loan period expires though (as the thrid party software removes the DRM-protection). Remember that swedish libraries are currently paying 3$ per borrowed ebook to the publishers.

I read 'Dreamsongs volume 1' by George RR Martin. That's the same guy that writes the Game of thrones-books. Dreamsongs is a collection of short stories and some anecdotes from Georges life, narrated by himself and I had previously read volume 2 (it was a gift from a co-worker) so when I found it on sale in the kindle store I couldn't really resist. Volume 2 is definitely the better of the two, but Volume 1 is well worth a read. 

Back on track:
As we approached the eastern parts of Russia I'd finished my book and was looking around to see that the fellow to the left of me had found his inflight-entertainment-monitor. It was somehow hidden under our chair, I could feel my own with my hand, but never figure out how to swing it into any position where I could view it. Or swing it anywhere at all, as a matter of fact. Well well, I missed 'Total Recall 2012', I guess I'll have to learn how to live with it. As we approached the Sea of Japan a friendly danish stewardess came over to me and asked 
'Did you choose this seat or were you assigned it at random?' with a shocked and horrified look.
'Yeah umm well... ehh I was assigned it?' Which was more or less true since it was the only seat left when I checked in.
'Ah because you see, these are the worst seat on the airplane, it's common that we put families travelling with small children here'
'Yeah um, I kinda liked the extra legspace'
The stewardess looked funnily at me and repeated in an odd voice like she was talking to a child '...WORST SEATS ON THE PLANE!'
'Umm can I borrow a pencil to stab you in the eye, Joker-style? Err I mean to fill out the immigration forms'
'Of course!'
Never try to understand danes. Denmark is like one big school for children with special needs. Just kidding of course. I know a lot of danes, I work with danes and I love them. If only you guys, once in a while, would try this whole consonant thing out. Come on throw us a bone here. It's not like it hurts. 

We land at Narita airport in Tokyo and as I look out the window I see that it's sunny and the thermometer says that it's 'not that much of a Swedish winter jacket'-weather. I keep my cardigan on though but when we get off it becomes apparent that it's not really 'cardigan-'weather either. First however: Japanese immigration. Since I had no idea on what street Stefan lived I just gave his name and 'Hirakata'. Can't imagine there being that many Stefan Bengtsson in Hirakata. The japanese didn't object and let me into their country. 'Suckers!' However there was a moment of tension between me and the Customs officer. He asks me where I'm going and I answer 'Hirakata'. He looks at me as if I'm trying to communicate with him in Martian. 'Hirakata' I repeat. 'Hirakata?' he repeats by mimicking my sounds. I give up and go 'Osaka' which is the nearest prefecture. I draw the conclusion that the customs in Japan does not believe in Hirakata.

So first thing to do was to turn my exchange order into a rail pass. I can see you all out there going 'turn what into a who?'. Yes, yes, perhaps I should have mentioned the rail pass earlier, but I'm too lazy to go back and rewrite everything now. The idea is that there's a train pass that lets you travel all the railways for free. Great deal! It is however only available to tourists and not to Japanese themselves. So you have to buy an exchange order in your own country that you exchange to a real railpass in Japan. You also have to show your passport. Me and my other friend Andreas had decided to get ourselves railpasses, because the trainride back and forth from Narita Airport to Stefans home in Hirakata was comparable to the price of the rail pass so it was an easy decision. There's a slight twist to the story though. While me and Andreas were arriving at the same time, we weren't arriving at the same place. He was flying with Finnair and I was flying SAS. SAS and Finnair arrive at different terminals. As soon as we got on the ground we get in touch via text. This is a fairly accurate reconstruction of the conversation (with surrounding events):
PW: Touchdown
AD: I suggest you get working on your railpass, it takes forever.

PW: OK, I thought we were gonna do this together, though?

AD: I need to take the train to get to your terminal. I have to fix it here.
PW: OK.
So I go fix my rail pass. It does not take forever. Unless the defenition of forever is 10 minutes. I have to stop the nice japanese girl helping me from making seat reservations for a specific train on my rail pass though, since I'm waiting for Andreas so we can you know go together.
PW: Got it.
AD: Really? Still waiting in line.
So I go to the bathroom to change out of my cardigan, put my jacket in my luggage and switch shirts. Since the one I'm wearing is drenched in sweat. Large westerner meats japanese toilet. Let's just say that me trying to change clothes in a japanese bathroom stall could have doubled as a script for mr Bean. I wasn't as much in the bathroom stall as I was wearing it. When I get back out again I recieve another text.

AD: Got it! I'm on the 11:43 train to Tokyo.
I look at the clock on the wall '11:33'. I check the information light board. 'Hmm, no trains leaving at 11:43 from here if I understand this correctly, but I need to get a move on. I'll ask the girl at the seat reservation desk' 
I start heading towards said desk. 
PW: Thanks for the headsup, pal! I need to make seat reservations. Might not make it in time. 
AD: Oh just realised, the train leaves from your terminal earlier... comes to me at 11:43.
PW: !!!!!
So I turn and make a run for the trains, while explaining to anyone who would listen why I hate people. I make it to the right train just in time. Next stop is Narita Airport terminal 2 and I meet with Andreas. 
'You do realize that if I get thrown off because I don't have seat reservations, I'll punch you in the nuts right?'
The conductor rolls by and asks us for tickets. There's a moment of suspense as he eyes my rail pass and asks 'Tokyo?' 'Hai!' He looks as if he's thinking 'Stupid tourist. How do you manage to not get this right? They make seat reservation for you at the desk where they give you the rail pass.' and then lets me go on. 

Me and Andreas get off in Tokyo and enjoy some roastbeef sandwhich and pasta bolognese. Ain't nothing like tasting the local cuisine. Also enjoyed our first 14$ bottle of water ever in our lives. We drank in reverence. After being fed and watered we get on the train from Tokyo to Osaka. The journey takes almost exactly three hours and upon arriving in Osaka we wait for Stefan. And we wait. And wait. After another hour we call him asking him where he is. He of course asks the same. It takes a couple of minutes to determine that me and Andreas had gone to the wrong Osaka. Not as in 'the wrong Osaka town' but 'the wrong Osaka station'. Stefan offers to come pick us up. 'Yes please we would like that very much' and 25 minutes later we meet up!

And so ends part one of my travelogue of my trip to Japan. Hope you're enjoying it sofar and hope you didn't feel it was too longwinded.